THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


OF 


DR.  WINTHROP  HARTLY  HOPSON 


EDITED  BY  HIS  WIFE, 

ELLA  LORD  HOPSON 


CINCINNATI 
STANDARD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1887 


Copyright,  1887,  by 
STANDARD  PUBLISHING  CO. 


H77H17 


TO   THE   MEMORY   OF 

ffir*.  £al*5  3.  SiU, 


c 

TO   WHOSE   WORTH   AND   LOVING   GUIDANCE 

HER     SON     HAS     BEEN     WONT     TO     ASCRIBE     ALL 
THE     SUCCESS    OF     THE     LIFE     WHICH     IT     HAS     BEEN     MY 

PLEASURE   TO   RECORD    IN    THESE    PAGES,  THIS    VOLUME    IS    AFFBC- 
>* 

TIONATELY     INSCRIBED.        "  THE    MOTHER    IN    HER    OFFICE 

tn 

HOLDS    THE     KEY     OF    THE    SOUL  ]      AND    SHE     IT 
S  IS      WHO     STAMPS     THE     COIN     OF 

CHARACTER." 

ELLA  S.  HOPSON. 


461491 


INTRODUCTION. 

More  than  a  year  ago  I  conceived  the  idea  of  writing 
a  history  of  the  work  of  my  husband,  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson. 
I  did  not  at  first  think  of  publishing  it,  but  it  grew  upon 
ray  hands  until  it  became  a  book.  It  served  to  while 
away  many  a  weary  hour  of  the  patient  invalid,  whose 
life  lies  wholly  in  the  past. 

By  the  advice  of  brethren  who  have  published  books, 
I  have  endeavored  to  condense  as  much  as  possible.  I 
have  left  out  many  incidents  and  the  names  of  hundreds 
of  loved  friends,  for  want  of  space.  One  request  the 
Doctor  made,  that  I  should  not  put  anything  upon  record 
that  would  convey  a  censure  to  any  human  being,  or  leave 
an  impression  in  the  mind  of  any  one  that  he  had  a  feel- 
ing of  enmity  in  his  heart  toward  any. 

If  the  book  is  full  of  imperfections,  and  does  not 
meet  the  expectations  of  friends,  they  will  remember  it 
was  written  by  a  nurse  in  a  sick-room,  with  constant  in- 
terruption to  wait  on  the  loved  invalid,  and  often  with  a 
heart  full  of  unshed  tears.  Then  do  not  judge  too  crit- 
ically. I  have  left  much  of  his  beautiful,  sacrificing  life 
for  others  to  portray,  and  thank  them  from  my  heart  for 
their  loving  and  comforting  letters,  appended  in  the  book. 


VI.  INTRODUCTION. 

They  show  clearly  that  those  who  knew  him  best,  and 
came  closest  to  his  inner  life,  loved  him  most. 

For  him  the  sun  of  life  is  setting,  but  to  him  in  a 
halo  of  glory.  He  has  no  fear  for  the  future ;  and,  as  he 
slowly  drifts  from  us  toward  the  great  ocean  of  eternity, 
his  hopes  brighten,  his  vision  grows  clearer,  and  he  real- 
izes more  and  more  what  it  will  be  to  rest  from  his  labors, 
with  those  he  loves,  in  the  Paradise  of  God. 

I  hope  my  imperfect  tribute  of  affection  to  one  on 
whose  strong  arm  I  have  leaned  for  thirty-seven  years 
may  be  read  in  the  spirit  of  love  in  which  it  has  been 
written,  and  serve  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  my  hus- 
band in  the  hearts  of  the  many  he  loved  so  well. 

ELLA  LORD  HOPSON. 
NASHVILLE,  Tenn.,  July  20,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Dr.  Hopson's  Birth. — Parentage. — His  Father's  Removal 
to  Missouri. — From  there  to  Arkansas  — His  Being  Sent  to 
Carrollton,  111 ,  to  School. — Bro.  Henderson's  Letter. — His 
Change  to  Jacksonville. — Home  in  Father  Stone's  Family. — 

Attends  Bonne  Femme  College,  in  Boone  County 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Finishes  His  Education  at  Columbia  College,  under  Profs. 
Roach  and  Thomas,  when  only  Seventeen. — Called  to  Preach. 
— Spends  a  Few  Months  Reading  the  Bible  with  Bro.  Abram 

Miller. — Joins  Bro.  Samuel  Rogers. — Bro.  Rogers'  Letter 6 

CHAPTER  III. 

State  of  the  Church. — His  Father's  Loss  of  Property. — 
Opposed  to  his  Preaching;  Insists  on  his  having  a  Profession 
besides. — He  Selects  Medicine. — Married. — His  Father  Dies. 
— He  Becomes  a  Farmer. — Death  of  his  Wife. — Removal  to 
Fayette,  Howard  County. — Joel  H.  Hayden. — Alex.  Procter. 
— Second  Marriage. — Death  of  his  Wife. — Visit  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  with  Bro.  D.  P.  Henderson.— Robt.  B.  Fife,  of  St. 

Louis,  Marries  his  Mother 12 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Meeting  in  Dubuque,  Iowa. — Result  of  the  Meeting. — My 

Conversion  and  Baptism,  and  our  Subsequent  Marriage 18 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  Proposition. — Visit  to  his  Mother. — Return  to  Fayette. 
— Call  to  Act  as  State  Evangelist. — Visit  to  Columbia,  Paris, 
Mexico.— Providential  Escape. — Meeting  in  the  Court-house 

in  Mexico.— Debate  with  Elder  Wm.  G.  Caples 31 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Visited  my  Relatives  in  Batavia,  111.— My  Brother's  Let- 
ter Describing  the  Meeting. — Other  Visits  Made  There.— His  38 

Estimate  of  Dr.  Hopson 

vii. 


Vlli.  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Visit  to  Pittsfield,  Carrollton,  Callaway  Co.,  Booneville. 
— Masonry  more  Liberal  than  Sectarianism. — Visit  to  War- 
saw.— Primitive  Hospitality. — Visit  to  Versailles 42 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

v  Novel  Experiences. — Life  among  a  Primitive  People. — 
How  I  Became  Popular. — Crowds  Attending  the  Meetings, 
Coming  Sometimes  from  Fifty  to  One  Hundred  Miles 46 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Doctor's  Meeting  at  Springfield.— Osceola. — The  Man  who 
Joined  Dr.  Hopson. — Calhoun,  Henry  County. — Georgetown, 
Pettis  County. — Cholera. — Confession  and  Baptism  of  Four-    50 
teen  Young  Ladies 

CHAPTER  X. 

Close  of  South  Side  Mission. — Swimming  Creeks. — Cross- 
ing Prairies. — Visiting  Everybody. — Changing  Rooms. — Meet- 
ings at  New  London,  Paris,  Lick  Creek,  Hannibal. — Change 
of  Location  to  the  Mississippi  River. — One  Year  and  Four 
Months,  Four  Hundred  Additions 55 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Locating  in  Palmyra. — Building  up. — Palmyra  Female 
Seminary  a  Private  Enterprise. — Bro.  Knowles  Shaw. — Bro. 
J.  J.  Errett. — Bro.  Creath. — Bro.  L.  B.  Wilkes,  Associate 
Principal. — Palmyra  Seminary  Incorporated. — Encouraging 

Prospects 59 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  Preaching  Tour.  —  Meeting  at  Danville.  —  Running 
against  a  Camp-meeting. — Wins. — Methodist  Cousin. — Num- 
ber of  Additions  During  Summer 63 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Opposition  Schools  —  Baptist  and  Presbyterian. — Two 
Years'  Prospectus. — Financial  Crisis. — Made  Assignment. — 
School  Closed. — Gave  up  Everything. — Extract  of  Letter 
from  an  Old  Pupil 71 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Dr.  Hopaon  as  a  Student. — As  a  Benevolent  Man. — A 
Friend  to  Young  Men. — Disliked  Pastoral  Visiting.— As  a 


CONTKNTS.  IX. 

Husband.— His  Punctuality. — A  Proposition. — Its  Results. — 
Practical  Jokes. — As  a  Son. — His  Patience  as  a  Preacher. — Ex- 
periences in  School-houses  and  in  the  Open  Air. — The  Eoj 
and  Cap. — What  did  Annoy  Him 74 

CHAPTER  XV. 

His  Courage  and  Fortitude  under  Misfortune. — Econ- 
omy.— Division  of  Labor. — How  the  Dutchman  Happened  to 
Saw  Wood  and  Work  the  Garden. — Meetings  at  Mexico, 
New  Mexico,  St.  Joseph — Fifty  Dollars  for  One  Convert,  One 
Dollar  a  Head  for  the  Remainder. — Meeting  in  Batavia,  111. — 

In  Chicago 81 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

L.  B.  Wilkes'  Letter. — Walnut  St.  Meeting  in  Cincinnati, 
in  1859.— R.  M.  Bishop's  Letter 87 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Removal  to  Lexington,  Ky.— Bro.  McDonald's  Letter. — 
Pastoral  Work  in  Lexington. — Numerous  Meetings. — Country 
Meetings. — Basket  Dinner.— Meeting  at  Berea. — Tornado 93 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Beginning  of  the  War. — Withdrawal  of  the  States. — 
Meeting  in  Cincinnati. — First  Gun  Fired. — Resignation  at 
Lexington. — His  Position. — Kentucky  Neutrality. — Pledged 
to  Neutrality. — Fidelity  of  Union  Friends.  — Fear  of  Arrest. — 
Took  our  Daughter  to  Missouri,  to  Mrs.  Fife,  Dr.  Hopsou's 

Mother 99 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Meetings  at  Shelbyville,  Eminence,  Bloomfield,  Old 
Union. — Morgan's  Raid. — Meeting  Closed. — The  Doctor  No- 
tified that  the  Order  was  out  for  His  Arrest. — Attempt  to 
Escape. — Union  Friends. — Refusal  to  Compromise  Them. — 
His  Surrender  to  Major  Brock,  of  Lexington. — Parole. — Ar- 
rest by  Col.  Warner. — Louisville  Prison. — Preaching. — Re- 
fusal to  take  the  "  Iron-clad  Oath." — Camp  Morton. — John- 
son's Island. — False  Charges. — My  Endeavors  to  Secure  his 
Release. — Banished  from  the  State 104 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Dr.  Hopson  a  Conscript. — His  Regrets. — No  Hope  of  Re- 
loase. — His  Masonic  Relations  Advantageous.—  Inside  Post- 


CONTENTS. 

master. — Preached  Every  Sunday. — Accidental  Discovery. — 
Dutch  Guard. — Way  of  Escape  Opened. — His  Release. — Sent 
South. — Reports  of  his  Command. — Kindness  of  Union 
Friends  while  in  Prison. — Bro.  Bishop. — Bro.  Graham.— Re- 
ceived Commission. — Gen.  Morgan  Delighted  that  the  Gov- 
ernment had  Sent  him  a  Chaplain 114 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

My  Trip  South  to  Join  the  Doctor. — Illness  in  Baltimore. 
— Visit  to  Washington. — Interview  with  J.  J.  Crittenden. — 
His  Assistance. — Detained. — Seven  Weeks  at  Barnum's  Ho- 
tel.— Wonderful  Kindness  of  the  People. — Recovery. — Trip 
South  to  Richmond. — Bro.  Pettigrew  and  Family. — Success 
in  Husband  Hunting. — Met  the  Doctor  in  Augusta. — Atlanta. 
— Trip  to  McMinnville,  Tenn. — Not  a  Stranger,  Though  in  a 
Strange  Land ». 119 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Hospitality. — Arrival  at  McMinnville. — Preaching. — Life 
in  Camp. — R.  M.  Gano  and  Brothers. — I  go  to  Knoxville. — 
Evacuation  of  McMinnville. — Dr.  Hopson  Resigns. — We  go 
to  Richmond. — Meeting  in  Richmond. — Located  at  Bowling 
Green. — Holly  Hill. — C.  P.  Williamson. — Life  at  Bowling 
Green. — Housekeeping. — Cost  of  Domestic  Articles. — Ex- 
penses, $20  a  Day ;  Income,  $2,000  a  Year. — Old  Mansion 126 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Gen.  Wade  Hampton. — His  Request. — His  Gratification. 
— Christmas  Dinner  for  Gen.  Lee. — Preparations  to  Remain 
in  Bowling  Green. — Battles  of  May  5,  6  and  8. — Wounded 
Soldiers. — The  Retreat. —  eating  Lee  to  Richmond 136 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Brief  Stay  in  Richmond.  —  Amelia  County.  —  Amelia 
Springs. — Jetersville. — Paineville. — Kautz  and  Wilson's  Raid. 
—Flight  to  Horse  Pasture.— Bro.  D.  H.  Spencer.— Henry  C.  H.  141 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Blue  Ridge.— Patrick  C.  H.— Paid  $5,OuO  for  a  Horse, 
$500  for  a  Saddle. — Plenty  of  Money. — Teaching  in  Patrick 
Henry  Academy.— Thirty-five  Pupils.— $3,500  a  Month  Sal- 
ary.— Going  to  Church. — Confederate  Candle 144 


CONTENTS.  XI. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Evacuation  of  Richmond. — The  Doctor's  Arrest,  Deten- 
tion and  Release. — Col.  Trowbridge. — Maj.  Standish.— His 
Return  to  Horse  Pasture.— The  Raid 149 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

News  of  the  Surrender. — Start  for  Richmond.— Our  De- 
tention.— Dr.  Hopson  as  a  Huckster. — Selling  Vegetables  and 
Fruit  to  tb>'  Federal  Construction  Corps  for  Tea,  Coffee, 
Flour,  etc. — Aiding  Two  Old  People. — Three  Attempts  to 
Reach  Richmond. — Trip  in  a  Sutler's  Wagon  Across  the  Last 
Field  of  Battle. — Arrival  at  Amelia  Springs. — Fishing. — Call 
to  Richmond  Church 154 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Takes  Charge  of  the  Church. — Condition  of  the  Country. — 
Impoverishment  of  the  People. — R.  M.  Bishop's  Generous 
Aid. — Brave  People. — The  Doctor's  Indebtedness  in  Missouri 
nearly  Doubled. — Visit  to  Kentucky. — Preachers  Throughout 

Virginia. — Bro.  Shelburn,  his  Money  and  his  Calf 162 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Bro.  Clemmitt's  Letter. — General  Meeting. — The  Con- 
vention between  Sixteen  of  our  People  and  Sixteen  Promi- 
nent Baptists,  in  Richmond 169 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Letter  from  Bro.  J.  A.  Gano 173 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Return  to  Richmond. — Our  Family  all  Together.— Our 
Daughter's  Marriage  to  R.  L.  Cave. — Covington  Meeting. — 
Bro.  Lape's  Letter. — Call  to  Louisville. — Acceptance. — Mo- 
tives Actuating  Him. — Life  in  Lexington. — Removal. — Raises 
Money  to  Finish  Church. — Wm.  C.  Dawson. — T.  P.  Haley. — 
Mission  Work 176 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Bible  School  for  Colored  Young  Men. — Interest  in  Col- 
ored Church. — Encouragement. — Substantial  Aid. — Three 
Letters  from  Students  of  the  School 184 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Bro.   Grubbs'   Letter. — House  full  of  Boarders. — Aunt 


Xll.  CONTENTS. 

Mima. — Bought  a  Home. — Last  Payment  on  Missouri  Debt. 
— Preachers'  Wives. — Dr.  Hopson  a  Good  Financier. — His 
Desire  for  Rest. — His  Resignation. — Press  Notice 189 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Leave  Louisville. — Travel  through  Missouri. — Call  to  St. 
Louis. — Social  Meetings. — Presidency  of  Christian  University 
Urged  upon  Him. — Acceptance. — Silver  Wedding. — Removal 
to  Canton. — Felt  Settled  for  Life. — Bible  College  and  Stu- 
dents.— Prospects  Promising. — Trip  in  the  Interest  of  the 
University. — His  Illness. — Mr.  Cave's  Arrival  and  Invaluable 
Aid.— His  Mother's  Death. — His  Partial  Recovery. — Unable 
to  Teach. — Able  to  Preach. — Returned  to  Lexington,  Ky. — 
Relapse. — His  Old  Church  in  Palmyra. — His  Last  Field  of 
Labor. — His  Patience  Under  Affliction 196 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Letter  from  Wiley  Mountjoy. — Dr.  Hopson's  Life  at 
Home. — Influence  on  the  Students  in  his  Family.— Servants. 
— Bro.  G.  A.  Hoffman's  Letter.— Generous  Kindness. — Con- 
scientiousness.— Christ-likeness. — Influence  at  Home  and 
Abroad  as  a  Neighbor,  a  Minister,  a  Friend. — His  Liberality.  210 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Letter  from  R.  C.  Ricketts. — Encouragement  to  Write. — 
Dr.  Hopson's  Position  on  the  War  Question. — His  Conserva- 
tism on  the  Subject. — His  Friends  in  Both  Parties. — Effect  of 
his  Arrest. — His  Return  to  Kentucky  after  the  War. — Speech 
at  Midway. — Cordial  Reception. — Estimate  of  the  Man  in 
every  Way. 

Bro.  J.  H.  Hardin's  Leiter. — First  Acquaintance  with  Dr. 
Hopson. — His  Kindness  to  Me. — Easy  in  his  Presence. — Es- 
timate of  Him  as  a  Preacher  and  Christian  Man. 

Bro.  Win.  Van  Pelt's  Letter.  —  Warmth  of  Friend- 
ship. —  Political  Differences.  —  Fraternal  Feelings.  —  Grand 
Sermons. 

Bro.  W.  B.  Emmal's  Letter.— Bro.  W.  S.  Giltner's  Letter. 
— Eminence,  Ky. — Bro.  C.  B.  Edgar. — Cynthiana. — Extract 
of  Letter  from  Ella  B.  Myles. — Letter  from  Bro.  Fred  Power, 
of  Washington  City. — Extract  of  Letter  from  Pres.  J.  T.  Pat- 
terson, of  Hamilton  College,  Lexington,  Ky. — Letter  from 
Chas.  L.  Loos,  President  Kentucky  University. — Letter  from 


CONTENTS.  xin. 

Prof.  Robert  Graham,  Kentucky  University. — Letter  from  S. 
W.  Crutcher. — Letter  from  Mrs.  AU-xander  Campbell. — Letter 
from  Pres.  J.  W.  Ellis,  Plattsburg,  Mo.— Letter  from  Prof.  J. 
W.  McGarvey,  Kentucky  University. — letter  from  Z.  F. 
Smith,  Louisville 219 


LIFE  OF  DR,  W.  H.  HOPSON. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Dr.  Hopson's  Birth. — Parentage. — His  Father's  Removal  to  Mis- 
souri.— From  there  to  Arkansas. — His  Being  Sent  to  Carroll- 
ton,  111.,  to  School. — Bro.  Henderson's  Letter.— His  Change 
to  Jacksonville. — Home  in  Father  Stone's  Family. — Attends 
Bonne  Femme  College,  in  Boone  County. 

Dr.  Winthrop  Hartly  Hopson  was  born  near  Garretts- 
burg,  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  April  26,  1823.  His 
maternal  grandfather  moved  from  North  Carolina,  in  an 
early  day,  and  located  four  miles  from  Hopkinsville,  on 
a  farm. 

In  a  short  time  he  was  elected  County  and  Circuit 
Clerk,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  Hopkinsville, 
where  he  acted  in  that  capacity  for  many  years. 

In  politics  he  was  a  staunch  Democrat ;  in  religion,  a 
moralist,  believing  that  an  honest  man  was  the  noblest 
work  of  God.  He  aimed  to  obey  the  Golden  Rule,  as 
he  understood  it,  and  was  just  and  upright  in  all  his  deal- 
ings wjth  his  fellow-men.  He  lived  and  died  out  of  the 
church. 

He  was  three  times  married.  His  first  wife  was  Eliz- 
abeth Elliott,  of  North  Carolina.  Of  this  marriage,  five 
daughters  and  four  sons  were  born.  After  the  death  of 


2  LIFE    OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

his  first  wife,  he  married  the  widow  Samuels,  who  had 
one  daughter,  Kitty,  by  her  first  marriage.  The  result 
of  this  union  was  two  daughters,  Malvina  and  Lucretia; 
the  latter  was  burned  to  death.  His  second  wife  did  not 
live  long,  and  he  married,  the  third  time,  Mrs.  Read,  a 
widow  with  two  children.  By  this  union  he  had  five 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  sum  total  of  his  family 
was  nineteen  children.  This  was  a  large-sized  fam- 
ily for  a  new  country.  He  left  Hopkinsville  in  Decem- 
ber, 1825,  and  moved  to  Callaway  county,  Missouri,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  eight  miles  from  Fulton,  on  the  edge 
of  Nine  Mile  Prairie,  where  he  lived  till, his  death,  in 
1831.  All  of  his  children,  except  the  one  burned,  lived 
to  be  grown  men  and  women,  and  all  married  but  two. 
>  Col.  Joseph  Hopson,  Dr.  Hopson's  paternal  grand- 
father, moved  from  Henry  county,  Virginia,  in  the  year 
1811,  to  Christian  county,  Kentucky.  His  wife  was 
Miss  Sally  Boyd,  of  Virginia,  of  a  wealthy  and  influential 
family.  Their  children  were  George,  Morgan,  Samuel, 
Joshua,  Henry,  and  Mildred. 

Dr.  Samuel  Hopson,  the  third  son,  was  the  father  of 
Winthrop  H.  Hopson,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs. 

The  family  were  Episcopalians  in  Virginia,  but  there 
being  no  church  of  that  belief  in  Christian  county,  they 
united  with  the  Methodist  Church,  in  which  church  Col. 
Hopson  died. 

Sally  J.  Clark  was  the  fourth  child  of  Capt.  John 
Clark,  and  was  born  in  Hopkinsville,  August  23,  1802. 
She  availed  herself  of  the  limited^ advantages  offered  for 
procuring  an  education,  and  was  a  good  English  scholar 
for  that  time. 

In  1818,  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  she  married 
Dr.  Samuel  Hopson,  son  of  Joseph  Hopson,  and  moved 


I. IKK    OF    Pit.   \V.     II.     HOI'siON.  3 

to  the  country,  m-ar  Garrettebnrg.  While  living  there, 
two  children  were  horn  to  them,  Charles  Bingley  and 
Winthrop  Hartly,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs.  There 
was  one  other  brother  born  afterward,  Joseph  John,  who 
died  young. 

Before  Winthrop  was  two  years  old,  his  father  re- 
moved to  Montgomery  county,  Missouri.  The  trip  was 
at  that  day  an  arduous  one.  In  1825  there  were  no  rail- 
road- leading  from  city  to  city,  giving  easy  transit  for 
men  and  goods,  but  the  trip  had  to  be  made  in  wagons 
overland.  Dr.  Hopson  placed  his  household  goods  and 
servants  in  good,  substantial  covered  wagons,  while  he 
and  his  wife  made  nearly  all  the  trip  on  horseback,  Mrs. 
Hopson  carrying  Winthrop  in  her  lap. 

She  had  a  delightful  riding  horse,  and  has  often  de- 
scribed the  trip  to  me,  and  told  how  much  she  enjoyed  it. 
They  camped  out  at  night,  having  their  provisions  and 
cooking  utensils  with  them,  so  that  they  were  independ- 
ent of  hotels,  even  if  there  had  been  many  on  the  road. 

Dr.  Hopson  did  not  like  his  first  location,  and  in  about 
a  year  he  moved  to  Callaway  county,  and  settled  on  Heel 
String,  a  creek  seven  miles  from  Fulton.  He  lost  two 
servants  there,  sold  his  farm  to  Mr.  Yates  and  moved 
into  Fulton.  While  living  in  Fulton,  he  attended  lec- 
tures in  the  medical  college  of  Transylvania  University, 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  when  it  was  in  its  prime.  I  have 
a  letter  mother  wrote  him  while  there.  After  writing  of 
home  life  and  business,  she  says :  "  Winthrop  is  three 
years  old  to-day,  and  knows  all  his  letters." 

His  elder  brother,  Charles,  died  at  four  years  of  age. 
His  younger  brother,  Joseph,  lived  to  be  seven  years  old, 
when  he  too  passed  away,  leaving  Winthrop  the  only 
child. 


4  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

He  often  says  he  wonders  he  was  not  a  spoiled  child. 
The  reason  was  that  his  father  was  a  rigid  disciplinarian, 
and  a  stern  man,  and  his  mother  was  a  conscientious 
Christian  woman,  deeply  pious  and  unusually  intelligent 
in  the  Scriptures.  Dr.  Hopsou  has  often  said  that  all  of 
good  in  him  is  due  to  that  mother's  influence  and  prayers. 

In  the  year  1833  his  father  moved  South,  and  while 
they  were  camping  on  the  Ozark  Mountains,  the  Doctor 
witnessed  that  wonderful  meteoric  shower  of  November 
13th.  He  said  it  was  the  grandest  sight  he  ever  saw;  the 
heavens  seemed  on  fire,  and  the  tall,  sombre  pine  forest 
was  ablaze  with  stars.  He  only  remained  a  year  in  the 
South,  when  his  father  sent  him  to  school  in  Carrollton, 
Illinois,  to  Mr.  Hinton,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  prom- 
inence, and  widely  known  as  an  educator.  He  remained 
there  two  years,  boarding  in  Mr.  Hinton's  family. 

While  there,  his  father  moved  back  to  Fulton,  find- 
ing the  climate  of  the  South  did  not  agree  with  him  or 
his  family.  Winthrop  made  them  a  visit  while  at  Car- 
rollton. He  went  on  horseback,  and  alone,  from  there 
to  Fulton,  Missouri.  He  reached  home  safely,  with  many 
adventures  to  relate. 

From  Carrollton  he  was  sent  to  Jacksonville.  I  am 
indebted  to  Bro.  D.  P.  Henderson  for  the  following  in- 
formation in  regard  to  that  period  of  his  life  : 

"  CANTON,  Mo.,  Feb.  11,  1887. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — I  can  only  say,  in  an.swer  to  questions 
you  propound,  that  Dr.  Hopson,  your  husband,  was  the  inmate 
of  Barton  W.  Stone's  family  when  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
him.  He  was  a  student  in  the  Illinois  College,  attended  the 
meetings  held  by  the  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Jack- 
sonville, became  interested,  and  publicly  made  confession  of  his 
faith  in  Christ,  and  was  immersed  and  united  with  the  church 
August  1,  1836.  Bro.  S.  S.  Church  and  Bro.  Hopson  were  both 


I.IFK    OF    DR.   \V.    II.    HOI'SON.  5 

immersed.     I  think  that  Bro.  Hopson  was  baptized  before  Bro. 
Church.     He  was  about  fourteen  years  old  at  this  time." 

Bro.  Henderson  baptized  both  Bro.  Church  and  Dr. 
Hopson,  he  being  the  baptist  of  the  church,  elected  to 
that  office  by  the  church. 

Winthrop  remained  in  Jacksonville  nearly  two  years, 
when,  on  account  of  the  excitement  growing  out  of  political 
troubles,  culminating  in  the  destruction  of  the  press  and 
office  of  Lovejoy  &  Co. — in  Alton,  I  think — his  father 
sent  for  him  to  return  home.  He  was  at  once  placed  at 
Bonne  Femme  College,  near  Columbia,  Boone  county. 
"While  there,  he  boarded  in  the  family  of  Bro.  Austin 
Bradford,  where  he  was  under  constant  religious  influ- 
ence. 

Elder  T.  M.  Allen  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
became  the  warm  friend  of  and  model  man  for  the  young 
student.  Time  cemented  the  friendship,  which  lasted 
during  the  long  life  of  that  man  of  God. 

It  was  during  this  formative  period  of  his  character 
that  he- was  under  the  teaching  and  influence  of  such  men 
of  power  and  piety  as  B.  W.  Stone,  T.  M.  Allen,  Joel 
Hayden,  Jacob  and  Joseph  Coons,  Francis  Palmer,  Mar- 
cus Mills,  Absalom  Rice,  Win.  Davis,  and  Bro.  Douglass. 
In  Missouri  these  men  were  the  pioneers  of  and  co-workers 
in  the  grandest  reformation  since  the  days  of  the  apostles. 
The  reformation  of  Luther  took  the  church  from  creed 
to  creed.  The  reformation  preached  by  these  men  of 
God  took  men  from  human  creeds  and  dogmas  to  the 
Bible. 

Having  grown  to  manhood  under  such  teaching  as 
fell  from  the  lips  of  these  men,  is  it  any  wonder  that  he 
became  the  stern  and  uncompromising  advocate  of  truth 
which  he  has  always  been  ? 


CHAPTER   II. 

Finishes  His  Education  at  Columbia  College,  under  Profs.  Roach 
and  Thomas,  when  only  Seventeen. — Called  to  Preach. — 
Spends  a  Few  Months  Reading  the  Bible  with  Bro.  Abram 
Miller. — Joins  Bro.  Samuel  Rogers. — Bro.  Rogers'  Letter. 

Dr.  Hopson  was  always  a  good  studeiit.  He  com- 
meiiced  the  study  of  Latin  at  eight  years  of  age,  under 
Prof.  Dunlap,  and  at  seventeen  finished  his  Greek  and 
Latin  course  under  Profs.  Roach  and  Thomas,  at  Colum- 
bia College,  out  of  which  grew  up  the  State  University 
from  which  he  afterward  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 

Here  he  closed  his  scholastic  life.  At  this  time  the 
older  brethren  thought  the  church  demanded  that  young 
men  of  talent  and  education  should  be  brought  forward, 
and  urged  him  to  devote  his  life  to  the  ministry. 

His  father,  who  had  become  a  Christian  but  a  short 
time  before  this,  was  opposed  to  his  taking  the  step.  He 
was  proud  of  his  son,  and  ambitious  that  he  should  make 
his  mark  in  the  world.  He  had  made  arrangements  for 
him  to  enter  the  office  of  Geyer  &  Bates,  of  St.  Louis,  to 
study  law,  as  soon  as  he  left  college.  It  cost  Winthrop 
a  severe  struggle  to  disappoint  his  father,  as  well  as  to 
silence  the  cravings  of  his  own  ambition.  On  the  one 
side  were  worldly  honor,  fame,  distinction,  pecuniary 
profit,  while  the  other  offered  neither  emolument  nor 
worldly  glory,  but  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  contumely, 
reproach,  persecution,  and  poverty. 

The  Christians  were  at  this  time  few,  and  a  despised 

6 


LIFK    OF    Di:.   W.    II.     Hol'.-oN.  / 

people.  They  were  ostra<:i/"d  I'roiu  all  communion  with 
their  religious  neighbors.  They  were  called  (  fompbellites, 
Stoneite-,  Nc\v  Lights,  anything  but  the  name  they  <-ho-e 
to  wear  and  strove  to  honor. 

But  few  young  men  who  enter  the  ministry  to-day 
can  appreciate  tho  sacrifice  he  was  called  upon  to  make. 
Alter  prayerful  consideration,  he  decided  to  devote  his 
life  to  preaching  the  gospel.  There  were  no  Bible  Col- 
leges then,  to  train  young  men  for  usefulness;  his  only 
chance  was  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  some  godly  man,  who  was 
able  to  teach  others  how  to  tell  the  story  of  the  cross. 
He  spent  several  months  with  Bro.  Ahram  Miller,  of 
Millersburg,  Callaway  county,  learning  what  to  preach, 
speaking  as  opportunity  offered.  I  take  pleasure  in  let- 
ting the  old  veteran  of  the  cross,  Bro.  Samuel  Rogers, 
introduce  Dr.  Hopson  to  our  readers  as  he  was  in  1840, 
in  his  eighteenth  year  : 

"  About  this  time  I  was  approached  by  a  tall,  snare  youth  of 
about  eighteen  summers,  neat  in  his  attire  ;  graceful,  gentle,  and 
dignified  in  his  bearing;  with  an  intelligent  eyn  and  charming 
voice— altogether  such  a  one  as  would  at  once  command  respect, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  excite  the  suspicion  of  the  beholder  that 
he  might  be  a  scion  of  the  stock  of  F.  F.  V.'s  of  old  colonial  days. 

"  He  bore  letters  from  Abram  Miller,  of  Millersburg,  Callaway 
county,  recommending  him  to  me  as  a  pious  youth,  who  desired 
to  devote  his  life  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  who  wished  to 
place  himself  under  my  care.  He  brought  letters  also  highly 
commendatory  to  Philip  Miller,  then  of  Franklin  county.  Philip 
Miller  was  a  man  of  great  goodness  of  heart,  but  very  plain- 
spoken,  and  sometimes  blunt,  almost  offensively  so.  When  the 
young  man  approached  Miller,  he  was  busy  shaving  shingles, 
and,  as  if  to  test  him,  was  asked  the  very  blunt  question:  'Young 
man.  do  you  think  you  are  of  any  account?  Can  you  shave 
shingles?'  '  I  suppose  I  can,'  was  the  reply.  '  Well,'  said  Miller, 
'take  off  your  coat,and  try.'  The  youth,  nothing  daunted,  threw 
off  his  coat,  took  hold  of  the  drawing-knife  with  his  white,  ten- 


8  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

der  hands,  and  went  to  work  as  if  he  had  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  business  of  shingle  making. 

"  A  few  minutes  satisfied  Miller  that  the  handsome  youth 
was  no  humbug,  so  he  urged  him  to  resign  the  knife,  saying, 
'  That  will  do,  sir.'  This,  to  us,  appears  a  trifling  incident ;  but 
it  was  enough  to  endear  the  youth  to  Philip  Miller  for  life — it 
was  the  beginning  of  a  lasting  friendship.  Years  afterward  I 
heard  Philip  Miller  tell  how  his  admiration  had  been  excited  by 
the  simple  determination  expressed  on  this  occasion  by  the  youth, 
and  how  his  sympathies  had  been  aroused  by  the  discovery  of 
great  blisters,  which  the  knife  had  raised  on  his  delicate  hands. 

"  This  young  man  placed  himself  under  my  care  for  the  pur- 
pose of  training  himself  to  the  hardships  of  the  Christian  warfare ; 
and  I  take  pleasure  in  bearing  witness  that  this  young  Timothy 
served  his  father  for  two  years  as  faithfully  and  lovingly  as  any 
Timothy  could  serve.  At  first  I  put  him  to  blowing  and  striking 
for  me— to  use  a  blacksmith's  phrase — but,  finding  him  a  young 
man  of  great  promise,  I  put  him  in  the  lead,  requiring  him  to 
deliver  the  opening  discourses  generally,  while  I  followed  with 
exhortation.  I  have  had  a  long  and  varied  experience  in  helping 
young  men  into  usefulness,  but  have  never  been  better  satisfied 
with  the  progress  of  any  man  with  whom  I  have  associated  than 
the  young  man,  Winthrop  H.  Hopson.  , 

"  His  discourses  were  finely  arranged,  quite  logical,  clear  and 
forcible.  They  were  always  delivered  in  the  finest  language,  yet 
presented  in  a  manner  so  simple  that  a  child  could  comprehend 
them.  On.  this  account  I  generally  put  him  forward  to  preach 
the  sermons,  and  I  followed  with  exhortations.  In  this  way  we 
labored  together  with  great  profit,  for  his  forte  was  preaching; 
mine,  exhortation.  We  always  traveled  together,  and,  in  the  cir- 
cuit of  four  or  five  counties,  accomplished  a  grand  and  glorious 
work,  which  eternity  alone  can  fully  reveal. 

"  The  old  men  of  to-day  dwell  with  animation  upon  the  trans- 
actions of  those  primitive  times,  when  I  did  the  grubbing  and 
Winthrop  piled  the  brush  ;  or,  when  Winthrop  made  the  log 
heaps,  and  I  fired  them ;  or,  in  a  different  phrase,  they  speak  of 
his  shooting  with  a  rest,  always  hitting  the  mark,  and  of  my 
shooting  off-hand,  taking  the  game  on  the  wing.  These  phrases, 
homely  though  they  may  be,  very  aptly  describe  the  manner  of 
our  work.  This  very  difference  in  manner  and  method  gave  effi- 
ciency to  our  labors,  and  made  each  more  useful  to  the  other- 


LIFE    OF    DK.   \\.    II.    IlOl-oN.  9 

Our  union  was  sweet,  and  our  harmony  complete  throughout  the 
campaign.  Winthrop  sat  at  ray  feet,  like  a  little  child,  to  receive, 
both  by  precept  and  example,  all  I  had  to  {rive  that  would  make 
him  useful  in  the  vineyard  of  his  Master;  and  I  sometimes  found 
it  profitable  to  reverse  the  order  and  become  his  pupil.  Him  I 
found  to  be  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  I  knew  myself  to  be 
very  defective,  even  in  the  King's  English,  so  I  requested  him  to 
criticise  and  correct  me  when  there  should  be  a  necessity  for  it, 
and  to  do  this  without  hesitation.  This  he  did ;  but  with  a  man- 
ner so  humble  and  gracious  as  to  make  me  feel  that  my  fault  was 
a  virtue  Dear  boy,  h  >w  I  loved  him  ! 

"  I  have  said  he  was  always  neat  in  his  dress,  and  dignified 
in  his  bearing.  Owing  to  this  fact,  many  poor  people  appeared  a 
little  shy  of  him  on  first  acquaintance.  To  live  in  log  cabins  and 
dress  in  homespun  was  the  style  in  those  days  in  that  country. 
When  entering  the  cabins  of  these  lowly  people,  Winthrop  was 
quick  to  detect  the  cause  of  shyness  on  the  part  of  the  inmates, 
and  always  ready  to  remove  it  by  his  easy,  gentle  way  of  making 
himself  at  home,  and  appearing  as  if  he  had  been  used  to  nothing 
better  all  his  life.  He  was  a  very  magnet  to  little  children,  and 
possessed  that  rare  faculty  of  remembering  their  names,  so  that, 
meet  them  where  he  might,  he  would  address  them  by  their 
proper  names,  and  make  them  feel  easy  in  his  presence.  He  was 
never  vulgarly  familiar  with  any  one,  old  or  young,  and  was  never 
guilty  of  using  slang  phrases,  and  could  not  be  tempted  to  ap- 
proach even  the  precincts  of  a  conversation  vulgar  or  smutty. 
When  he  entered  a  house,  it  seemed  to  be  his  first  study  to  avoid 
giving  trouble  to  any  one.  Winthrop  H.  Hopson  had  then,  and 
now  has,  the  appearance  of  being  stiff  and  proud ;  but  this  is  only 
the  man  as  he  appears  to  the  stranger.  Let  him  come  near  to  you, 
and  all  this  appearance  of  haughtiness  and  pride  will  vanish,  for 
it  is,  like  beauty,  only  skin  deep.  To  know  him  and  to  love  him, 
your  acquaintance  must  extend  beneath  the  surface.  I  wish  the 
young  men  of  this  day,  who  have  not  one-half  so  much  to 
puff  them  up  with  pride  as  he  had,  were  as  humble  and  teachable 
as  he.  Being  handsome  and  accomplished,  and  belonging  to  a 
family  which  took  rank  among  the  best  of  that  country,  or  any 
other  country,  it  is  not  strange  that  he  should  have  been  greatly 
loved  and  honored  by  the  young  and  old  of  all  classes.  But  it  is 
passing  strange  that  his  head  should  not  have  been  a  little  turned 
by  the  attentions  and  compliments  he  received.  I  never  knew 


10  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

him  to  coinproniise  his  dignity  in  any  manner ;  what  is  better,  he 
maintained  a  pure  and  spotless  character. 

"  Winthrop  prudently  avoided  the  meshes  of  matrimony,  as 
well  as  every  appearance  of  the  kind,  until  after  our  separation ; 
then  he  married  a  charming  Christian  girl  whom  I  had  baptized — 
Rebecca  Parsons,  the  fourth  daughter  of  Col.  James  Parsons. 

"  There  are  those,  perhaps,  who  may  think  that  I  should  not 
have  said  so  much  about  my  Timothy.  But  such  persons  must 
know  that  what  I  have  said  is  specially  for  the  benefit  of  young 
preachers,  who,  when  they  read  this,  may  take  my  boy  preacher 
for  a  pattern.  I  do  not  know  that  what  I  am  writing  will  ever 
see  the  light ;  lest  it  should,  I  must  add  a  few  more  words  upon 
the  same  subject,  and  for  the  same  purpose. 

"  No  loving  son  could  be  more  attentive  to  the  wants  of  a 
father  than  was  Winthrop  to  mine.  On  stopping  for  the  night, 
his  first  and  unceasing  care  was  my  comfort.  I  must  be  first 
seated,  have  the  best  chair,  and  have  it  in  the  best  place.  If  there 
were  two  beds  offered  us,  I  must  have  choice ;  or,  if  we  had  to 
occupy  the  same  bed,  I  must  have  choice  of  sides  In  those  days 
money  was  scarce,  and  came  to  us  in  small  installments.  When 
money  was  offered  to  him,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  refusing  it,  as  I 
learned,  by  saying:  'I  am  young,  and  have  no  family;  I  can  get 
along  without  it.  Give  it  to  Uncle  Sam,  he  has  a  large  family 
to  support,  and  needs  all  he  can  get.'  Thus  he  was  ever  regard- 
ing my  welfare,  and,  in  his  unselfishness,  forgetting  his  own  com- 
fort and  convenience. 

"  On  one  occasion,  when  we  were  going  to  an  appointment  on 
the  head  waters  of  the  Burbois  River,  we  came  to  a  tributary 
that  was  so  swollen  by  recent  rain  that  we  were  unable  to  ford  it, 
and  our  embarrassment  was  increased  by  the  fact  that  the  canoe 
was  on  the  other  side.  Winthrop,  without  a  word,  stripped  him- 
self, plunged  into  the  turbid  stream,  and  brought  the  canoe  over* 
so  that  we  were  enabled  to  get  across  in  good  plight  and  meet 
our  engagement  promptly.  How  all  this  contrasts  with  that  class 
of  coarse,  ill-bred  young  men,  who  act  as  if  they  suppose  people 
will  not  hold  them  in  honor  unless  they  are  peevish,  fretful, 
fault-finding,  and  troublesome  in  general. 

"  Thirty  years  full  of  imporr,  full  of  change  and  disappoint- 
ment, have  been  numbered  with  those  beyond  the  flood,  t-ince 
Winthrop  and  1  traversed  the  Missouri  hills  and  valle\  s  together, 
bearing  the  joyful  tidings  of  peace  and  love  to  the  listening  mul- 


I, IKK    OK     Dli.    \\  .     II.     Ilol'.-'i.x.  11 

titudes.  Hut  the  results  of  the  work  begun  hy  us  will  never  pass 
away.  At  this  distance  from  the  scene,  it  w.-re  vain  for  me  tj  at- 
tempt a  description  in  detail  of  the  \v<>rk  that  was  accomplished. 
Whole  communities  almost  were  turn  d  from  the  service  of  sin 
unto  the  service  of  the  living  God.  Where  only  the  song  of  the 
reveler  had  been  before,  you  could  now  hear  songs  of  praise. 
Family  after  family  was  completely  transformed.  I  have  reason 
to  think  that  when  Winthrop  and  1  get  home  we  will  find  a  blessed 
congregation  of  those  dear  souls  who  were  brought  to  Christ  un- 
der our  preaching,  waiting  for  us  at  the  gate." 

This  is  the  only  picture  of  Dr.  Hopson  at  the  time 
he  first  began  to  preach.  This  is  from  the  pen  of  the 
dear  old  man  who  loved  his  son  Timothy  till  the  end  of 
his  life.  The  above  extract  is  from  Bro.  Samuel  Rogers' 
"Toils  and  Struggles  of  the  Olden  Times,"  edited  by  his 
son,  Elder  John  I.  Rogers.  It  is  a  book  that  should  be 
in  every  Christian's  library.  The  lives  of  saints  should 
be  precious  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  of  God. 


CHAPTER   III. 

State  of  the  Church. — His  Father's  Loss  of  Property. — Opposed 
to  his  Preaching;  Insists  on  his  having  a  Profession  be' 
sides. — He  Selects  Medicine. — Married. — His  Father  Dies. — 
He  Becomes  a  Farmer. — D>  ath  of  his  Wife. — Removal  to  Fay- 
ette,  Howard  county. — JOP!  H.  Hayden. — Alex.  Procter. — Sec- 
ond Marriage. — Death  of  his  Wife. — Visit  to  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
with  Bro.  D.  P.  Henderson. — Robt.  B.  Fife,  of  St.  Louis,  Mar- 
ries his  Mother. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Hopson  became  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  the  new  religion  on  the  old  plan  had  just  emerged 
from  the  mists  of  sectarianism ;  it  was  in  its  infancy. 
The  gospel  plan  of  salvation  had  to  win  its  way  into  the 
hearts  of  the  people;  men  had  to  be  converted,  churches 
organized,  sectarian  ignorance  and  bigotry  had  to  be  over- 
come. There  were  no  salaries  waiting  for  preachers,  but 
there  were  wide  prairies  to  be  ridden  over  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  cold  of  winter;  there  were  rivers  to  swim, 
and  privations  of  every  sort  to  be  endured,  and  all  for 
the  love  of  Christ  and  His  word. 

During  the  first  seven  years  he  preached  he  received 
four  hundred  dollars.  In  addition  to  this,  a  good  sister 
would  now  and  then  present  him  with  a  pair  of  socks  or 
jeans  pants. 

About  this  time  his  father  lost  his  investments  in  the 
South,  through  the  failure  of  those  indebted  to  him,  and, 
knowing  he  would  be  unable  to  assist  his  son,  he  urged 
upon  him  the  necessity  of  having  a  profession  to  fall  back 

12 


LIKE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  13 

upon.  He  well  knew  that  he  would  not  be  supported  as 
a  preacher  in  that  early  day.  He  selected  medicine  as 
preferable  to  any  other,  and  attended  several  courses  of 
lectures. in  St.  Louis,  where,  in  1848,  he  graduated  with 
a  large  class,  among  whom  were  numbered  Drs.  Hodgens, 
Maughs,  and  many  others  who  became  prominent  and 
successful  physicians.  The  eccentric  Dr.  Joseph  N.  Mc- 
Dowell was  president  of  the  college  at  the  time. 

In  1844  he  married  Miss  Rebecca  Parsons,  an  amia- 
ble, lovely  girl.  His  father  died  not  many  months  after 
his  marriage,  and  he  at  once  removed  his  widowed  mother 
to  his  home,  and  cared  for  her  tenderly. 

While  attending  lectures  in  St.  Louis,  he  preached  for 
the  church  one  winter,  when  Bro.  Jacob  Creath,  Jr.,  was 
ill,  and  one  winter  for  Bro.  Patten,  who  died  soon  after. 
During  this  time  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Elder 
Robt.  B.  Fife,  who  subsequently  became  his  step-father. 

After  his  marriage  he  became  a  farmer,  as  well  as 
physician  and  minister.  We  visited  that  neighborhood 
in  1875,  and  saw  many  of  the  children  of  those  who 
knew  the  Doctor,  and  loved  him  well.  They  said  his 
influence  was  still  felt  in  the  community,  and  his  name 
was  a  household  word  among  them. 

His  dream  of  happiness  was  brief.  In  a  little  over 
two  years  death  invaded  his  home,  and  took  from  it  its 
brightest  treasure.  The  death  of  his  wife  was  a  heavy 
blow  to  him.  He  was  preeminently  a  domestic  man,  and 
loved  his  home  better  than  any  place  on  earth.  Now 
everything  was  changed  :  the  same  stroke  that  took  from 
him  his  companion,  took  his  home  also.  His  father-in- 
law  had  never  deeded  to  his  daughter  the  place  that  he 
had  given  them  to  live  on,  and  at  her  death  it  and  the 
servants  returned  to  the  former  owner. 


14  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Hopson  could  settle  up  his  business, 
he  left  that  county  and  moved  with  his  widowed  mother 
to  Fayette,  Howard  county,  where  he  established  himself 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  preaching  as  he  had  op- 
portunity. 

While  living  in  Fayette,  the  Doctor  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  Dr.  Saltonstall,  who  was  step-father  of  Bro.  J. 
W.  McGarvey.  Here  is  where  he  first  met  and  formed 
a  friendship  for  that  worthy  son  of  a  noble  Christian 
mother. 

During  the  last  years  of  Dr.  Hopson's  residence  in 
Fayette,  Bro.  Alexander  Procter  lived  at  the  home  of  the 
venerable  Joel  Hayden.  He  was  genial,  companionable, 
and  beloved  by  all,  and  a  special  favorite  with  Sister 
Hayden,  who  was  a  warm  friend  of  young  preachers.  The 
Doctor  always  enjoyed  a  visit  to  the  old  homestead  so 
much.  She  looked  upon  "  Winthrop  "  as  her  own  child. 
I  have  often  heard  her  relate  how  she  and  Dr.  Hopson's 
mother  used  to  go  to  church  where  they  had  all-day 
meetings,  and  Sister  Hayden,  who  had  a  son  a  few  months 
older  than  Winthrop,  would  stay  out  of  doors  in  the 
morning  and  nurse  the  two  babies,  and  Mrs.  Hopson 
would  take  care  of  them  in  the  evening,  until  the  little 
fellows  hardly  knew  which  mother  to  claim.  I  look 
back  with  heartfelt  pleasure  on  the  weeks  spent  in  their 
beautiful  country  home  near  Fayette.  Their  hospitality 
was  unstinted,  and  their  house  was  always  filled  with 
welcome  guests.  There  the  old  found  companionship; 
and  the  young,  counsel  and  encouragement.  This  was 
thirty-six  years  ago,  and  all  the  dear  old  people  have 
passed  through  the  gates  ajar,  and  are  resting,  waiting 
for  our  coming  when  we,  like  them,  shall  have  finished 
our  work. 


LIKE    OF    DR.   \V.    II.    Ilol'.-nN.  15 

While  living  in  Fayetto,  he  married  his  second  \viie 
Miss  Caroline  <  iray,  a   refined  and  cultured  lady,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Gray,  who  died  in  Callaway  enunty.     Of 
her,  Bro.  D.  P.  Henderson  says  : 

"  I  rnet  Bro.  Hopson  in  Fayette,  in  June,  1848.  He  had  re- 
cently married  his  second  wife,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  ac- 
quaintance in  Jacksonville,  III.,  during  a  visit  she  was  making  to 
Bro.  Stone's  family.  She  attended  a  protracted  meeting  which  I 
held  near  Franklin,  Morgan  county,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
immersing  her  and  receiving  her  into  the  Church  of  Christ.  She 
and  Dr.  Hopson  met  myself  and  family  and  gave  us  a  Christian 
greeting,  and  had,  in  anticipation  of  our  arrival,  secured  a  home 
for  us  with  Bro.  Wm.  C.  Boone,  cashier  of  the  bank  in  Fayette. 

"  Bro.  Hopson  exacted  a  promise  from  me  to  attend  the  State 
meeting  in  October  following.  After  filling  various  appointments 
and  attending  the  State  meeting  in  Illinois,  I  returned  in  time  for 
the  meeting  in  Fayette,  and  again  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
Bro.  H.  and  enjoying  his  society,  and  mingling  with  many  of  the 
preachers  and  brethren  from  various  parts  of  the  State.  At  that 
time  he  was  resident  minister.  The  church  in  Fayette  were  de- 
voted to  Bro.  Hopson  and  his  amiable  sister  wife,  and  it  was  a 
feast  of  joy  to  mingle  with  such  pious,  unselfish  Christian  people. 

"  I  visited  monthly  and  preached  for  the  church,  during 
which  period  Bro.  Hopson's  large  practice  in  his  profession  of 
medicine  gave  him  little  time  for  religious  and  social  intercourse. 
Those  happy  days  were  short-lived,  and  the  angel  of  death  en- 
tered Bro.  Hopson's  home  for  the  second  time,  tore  from  his  arms 
the  one  who  loved  him  dearly,  and  left  him  with  an  infant  daugh- 
ter six  months  old. 

"  The  brethren  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  had  for  a  long  time  urged 
me  to  make  them  a  visit,  and  hold  for  them  a  meeting,  urging  me 
to  bring  with  me  Bro.  S.  S.  Church,  of  St.  Louis,  when  they  knew  it 
was  not  possible  for  Bro.  Church  to  comply  with  their  request; 
and  I  urged  Bro.  Hopson  to  go  with  me.  The  death  of  his  wife 
changed  all  his  plans,  and,  after  long  and  careful  consideration, 
he  decided  to  accompany  me  to  Dubuque,  where,  as  you  well 
know,  our  joint  labor  gave  not  only  satisfaction  to  the  church  but 
to  the  people  generally.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing  him 
to  all  my  friends,  and  also  yourself,  from  which  time  we  were 


16  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

thrown  into  separate  fields  of  labor,  and  had  but  little  opportu- 
nity for  intercourse. 

"  For  Bro.  Hopson  I  have  always  felt  a  very  great  interest.  I 
regarded  him  as  the  finest  speaker  I  knew  in  all  our  ranks,  of 
polished,  elegant  manners,  a  memory  faultless,  courage  undaunted, 
unflinching  in  what  he  believed  to  be  true,  and  devoted  to  his 
friends.  He  knows,  and  will  carry  with  him  into  the  spirit  world, 
that  knowledge  that  I  loved  him,  and  was  always  his  friend  and  Chris- 
tian brother. 

"  My  prayers  shall  always  go  up  to  our  Father  in  heaven  for 
the  richest  blessings  to  be  granted  to  him.  Give  Bro.  Hopson 
my  kindest,  tenderest  Christian  love.  Tell  him  I  shall  cherish 
his  memory  the  few  fleeting  days  I  remain  on  this  earth,  and  we 
shall  meet  with  the  loved  ones,  I  trust,  'over  there,'  who  are 
watching  and  waiting  at  the  '  Beautiful  Gate.'  " 

Bro.  Henderson  has  thus  kindly  furnished  me  with 
another  link  in  the  life  of  my  husband.  In  addition  to 
this,  I  find  the  following  in  his  own  handwriting  in  a 
blank  book  : 

"  In  September,  1849, 1  relinquished  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  gave  myself  up  to  the  ministry.  The  fall  of  that  year  I  spent 
in  Kentucky,  and  did  not  commence  the  work  properly  till  1850. 
On  the  following  pages  I  record  the  number  of  additions  at  the 
different  meetings  I  may  hold  during  the  year :  January — At 
Fayette,  1 ;  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  33 ;  at  Dover,  17.  March— At  Fay- 
ette,  4 ;  St.  Louis,  6.  April — At  Dubuque,  26,  among  them  Mrs. 
Ella  L.  Chapell,  Judge  Henry,  Mrs.  King,  Sarah  Apsey,  daugh- 
ter of  a  Methodist  minister.  July — At  Springfield,  Mo.,  12;  at 
Brunswick,  2,  one  a  niece  of  Gen.  Price." 

Making  101  additions  the  first  seven  months  of  his 
new  work. 

Some  time  after  his  second  marriage,  Bro.  Robt.  B. 
Fife,  of  St.  Louis,  called  upon  him,  asking  his  consent  to 
marry  his  mother.  The  Doctor  was  highly  amused,  and 
told  Father  Fife  he  certainly  had  no  objection  to  taking 
him  for  a  father,  and  thought  he  and  his  mother  were  old 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    Hol'SOX.  17 

enough  to  settle  the  matter  withoutjhisjnterference.  They 
were  married  shortly  afterward.  After  marriage,  ins 
mother  moved  to  St.  Louis,  and,  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  his  little  girl  was  committed  to  the  care  of  his  wife's 
sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Bailey,  of  Fulton,  Mo.,  where  she  re- 
mained until  after  our  marriage. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Meeting  in  Dubuque,  Iowa. — Result  of  the  Meeting. — My  Con- 
version and  Baptism,  and  our  Subsequent  Marriage. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1850,  Bro.  Henderson  and 
Dr.  Hopson  visited  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Bro.  Henderson 
alluded  to  that  visit  in  the  letter  of  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. They  found  a  few  faithful  Disciples  struggling  for 
religious  life  and  recognition.  Brethren  Mobley,  Hen- 
derson (a  brother  of  Bro.  D.  P.  Henderson),  McDaniel, 
Hardy,  Bennet,  Gilliam,  with  their  noble  Christian  wives, 
and  a  few  others,  had  been  for  many  years  letting  their 
light  shine  amid  the  theological  darkness  of  that  city. 

Dr.  Hopson,  in  his  report  of  the  meeting  at  Dubuque, 
has  introduced  me  to  the  readers  of  this  book.  I  hope 
no  one  will  think  me  indelicate  in  giving  a  history  of 
this  meeting,  to  me  the  most  important  event  of  my  life. 
The  brethren  had  taken  great  pains  to  advertise  the 
coming  of  the  two  evangelists.  Their  expected  advent 
threw  the  shepherds  of  the  various  ecclesiastical  flocks 
into  great  consternation.  Meetings  were  commenced  in 
nearly  all  the  churches  of  the  city,  so  as  to  prevent,  if 
possible,  any  stray  sheep  from  falling  into  the  clutches  of 
the  "  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing." 

I  was  a  member  at  that  time  of  the  Congregationalist 
Church.  A  week  before  the  meeting  was  to  begin  at  the 
Christian  Church,  our  minister  announced  to  his  congre- 
gation that  he  would  deliver  a  series  of  discourses,  be- 

18 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  19 

ginning  the  next  night,  in  which  he  would  expose  the 
errors  of  Alexander  Campbell,  and  thus  effectually  spike 
the  gospel  guns  of  the  coming  propounders  of  the  schis- 
maticul  and  damning  doctrines  of  that  great  deceiver.  We 
were  glad  to  know  that  we  had  in  our  little  church  the 
David  that  could  demolish  the  great  Goliath  of  error. 
For  six  nights  we  listened  to  our  preacher.  He  held  in 
one  hand  "  King  James'  "  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  in  the  other  Campbell,  Macknight  and  Dod- 
dridge's  translation.  He  showed  us  how  wicked  and 
sacrilegious  a  man  was,  who  dared  to  differ  from  the  ac- 
cepted version. 

Of  course,  we  at  once  agreed  with  our  minister  that 
Alexander  Campbell  was  a  vandal  and  an  apostate,  and 
should  be  put  under  the  ban  religiously,  with  all  who 
were  weak  or  wicked  enough  to  be  deceived  by  his 
teaching.  He  closed  his  lectures  by  telling  us  not  to  go 
near  those  wolves  in  sheeps'  clothing ;  they  would  de- 
ceive the  very  elect. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  from  every  pulpit  in  the  city  the 
same  anathemas  were  thundered. 

Under  these  auspices  the  evangelists  began  their  meet- 
ing. For  a  week  I  heard  nothing  of  it,  until  one  morn- 
ing I  entered  my  school-room  and  found  my  pupils  in  a 
warm  discussion,  in  which  such  words  as  Campbellites, 
water-dogs,  were  freely  used:  The  noise  ceased  upon  my 
entrance,  but  traces  of  anger  remained  on  the  faces  of 
some  of  the  larger  pupils.  1  forbade  any  religious  dis- 
cussion on  the  premises.  I  soon  found  that  I  had  seveial 
small  wolves  among  my  best  pupils.  I  knew  nothing  of 
the  people  except  what  our  preacher  told  us,  and  was 
under  the  impression  that  they  baptized  in  the  name  of 


20  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Alexander  Campbell,  and  bid  to  be  immersed  every  time 
they  committed  a  sin. 

One  reading  this  may  say  such  ignorance  was  unpar- 
donable. I  almost  believe  so  myself.  There  was  a 
church  in  our  midst  that  taught  the  truth.  Every  Lord's 
day  they  met  and  attended  to  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's 
house.  I  was  too  proud  to  seek  there  for  the  light,  not 
thinking  that  we  were  commanded  to  "  prove  all  things," 
and  "  hold  fast  that  which  is  good. "  I  looked  with  pity, 
and  almost  contempt,  upon  the  few  poor,  deluded  people 
who  were  willing  to  meet  every  Lord's  day  in  the  little, 
humble  stone  church.  What  had  I  to  do  with  the  poor, 
despised  publicans?  Alas!  to  what  a  contemptible  pass 
do  we  allow  pride  and  prejudice  to  lead  us ! 

Some  of  my  young  friends  attended  the  meetings  and 
became  deeply  interested.  They  insisted  so  strongly  on 
my  going  once,  at  least,  that  I  consented,  but  notified 
them  that  I  should  secure  the  first  vacant  seat,  and  that 
no  doubt  they  would  be  plentiful.  When  we  entered  the 
church  at  an  early  hour,  I  looked  for  a  vacant  seat,  and 
close  behind  the  door  sat  our  preacher.  He  had  come 
for  the  wolves  to  catch  him  too !  I  can  never  tell  the 
shock  his  presence  gave  me ;  my  feelings  were  first  mor- 
tification, then  distrust,  then  loss  of  faith  in  the  man.  I 
looked  around  on  the  audience ;  every  church  in  the  city 
was  well  represented,  and  I  was  glad  to  drop  into  a  seat 
the  third  pew  from  the  pulpit.  Soon  the  aisles  were 
filled,  and  many  were  turned  away  for  want  of  room. 
Thirty-five  happy  disciples  were  seated,  with  smiling 
faces,  among  the  audience.  Eternity  can  never  wipe  out 
the  memory  of  the  next  twenty-four  hours ;  the  destiny 
of  my  soul  hung  in  the  balance.  Thirty-six  years  have 


I.IFK   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  21 

passed,  but  Memory's  tablet  is  filled  with  living  pictures 
of  those  moments. 

After  the  singing  of  one  or  two  songs,  the  two  minis- 
ters entered  the  pulpit.  The  opening  exercises  were 
brief.  I  did  not  notice  them  particularly  till  I  heard  the 
voice  of  one  of  them  reading  a  hymn.  Such  a  voice  is 
not  often  heard  ;  any  one  who  listened  to  Bro.  Henderson 
thirty  years  ago  will  attest  this.  I  do  not  remember  the 
hymn  he  read;  I  was  busy  thinking  about  that  other 
preacher  who  was  hiding  behind  the  door.  Bro.  Hen- 
derson called  on  Dr.  Hopson  to  pray,  and  when  he  arose 
I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  man  who  was  to  influence  my 
future  life  so  greatly. 

Some  have  asked  me,  Did  you  not  feel  some  premon- 
ition that,  in  some  way,  your  lives  were  to  be  united? 
Never;  he  seemed  no  more  to  me  that  the  brother  by  his 
side,  and  both  were  removed  leagues  from  me  by  religious 
prejudice. 

It  was  Bro.  Henderson's  night  to  preach,  but  he  was 
quite  hoarse,  and  was  unable  to  do  so.  Dr.  Hopson 
addressed  the  audience.  His  sermon  was  on  the  "  Divi- 
sion of  the  Word  of  Truth,"  or  the  proper  manner  of 
studying  the  Bible.  In  a  few  minutes,  in  spite  of  my 
vexation,  I  was  listening  to  the  strange  story  that  the 
Bible,  like  any  other  book  of  instruction,  had  a  design, 
and  that  any  one  studying  it  with  this  idea  before  him, 
could  readily  understand  its  teachings.  He  divided  the 
Book  according  to  dispensation,  subject  and  character, 
and  said  if  any  one  would  keep  these  in  view  when  read- 
ing, he  could  not  mistake  the  plan  of  salvation. 

There  had  been  three  dispensations — the  Patriarchal 
from  Adam  to  Moses ;  the  Jewish,  from  Mount  Sinai  to 
Pentecost,  and  since  then  the  Christian.  Under  the  Pa- 


22  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

triarchal,  the  head  of  the  family  was  the  priest  to  offer 
sacrifice  for  himself  and  household ;  under  the  Jewish? 
which  grew  out  of  the  giving  of  the  Law  on  Mount 
Sinai,  the  priesthood  was  changed,  and  Aaron  and  his 
sons  became  priests  to  offer  blood  for  the  people.  The 
head  of  the  family  must  now  bring  his  blood  to  the 
priest,  and  not  dare  to  offer  for  himself  or  his  family. 
After  the  Jewish  dispensation  had  accomplished  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  set  up,  it  passed  away  to  make  room 
for  the  Christian  dispensation,  in  which  the  Gentile  na- 
tions were  to  be  included.  The  ponderous  ritual  of  the 
Jews'  religion  was  to  he  exchanged  for  simple  worship. 
The  sacrifices,  the  priesthood  itself,  so  far  as  human 
priests  were  needed,  was  to  be  done  away.  The  blood  of 
Christ  was  to  procure  pardon,  instead  of  the  blood  of 
animals  slain  by  human  hands.  The  clash  of  cymbals, 
the  timbrel,  the  harp,  the  stringed  instruments,  the  organ, 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  the  dance,  all  were  to  pass  away 
with  the  dispensation  which  was,  more  or  less,  a  religion 
of  the  flesh.  The  law  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  and  a  new 
and  living  way  was  consecrated  for  us.  Christ  Himself 
became  the  mediator  of  a  better  covenant,  and  every  fol- 
lower of  His  becomes  a  king  and  priest  unto  God. 

While  the  dispensations  have  changed,  the  principle 
underlying  them  has  not.  Under  the  Patriarchal,  there 
was  faith  in  God,  sorrow  for  sin,  obedience  to  a  positive 
institution,  and  the  offering  of  blood.  Under  the  Jewish, 
the  same  thing  prevailed — faith,  obedience  and  offering 
of  blood  ;  the  priesthood  was  changed,  the  command- 
ments were  changed,  but  the  principle  was  still  the  same. 
Under  the  Christian,  the  objects  of  faith  are  increased- 
The  Patriarchs  and  Jews  believed  in  God,  and  worshiped 
Him  ;  we  must  believe  in  God,  and  that  He  sent  His  only 


LIFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON.  23 

begotten  Son  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  The  com- 
mandments have  changed:  the  blood  is  different,  but  the 
principle  remains — faith,  obedience  and  blood. 

SUBJECT. 

We  should  take  all  or  nothing  that  is  said  upon  a  given 
subject.  Take  justification.  By  what  are  we  justified  ? 
The  Bible  says  we  are  justified  by  faith,  justified  by  grace, 
justified  by  the  life  of  Christ,  by  His  blood,  justified  by 
Christ,  justified  by  God,  justified  by  works.  One  of  these 
propositions  is  as  true  as  the  other.  If  we  are  not  justi- 
fied by  all,  we  are  by  none. 

SAVED. 

We  are  saved  by  grace,  by  hope,  by  the  gospel,  by  the 
life  of  Christ,  by  faith,  by  the  death  of  Christ,  by  confes- 
sion, by  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  saved  by  bap- 
tism. The  Bible  says  all  these  things  save  us,  but  there 
are  thousands  of  people  in  the  church  who  do  not  believe 
the  last  proposition,  and  say  that  baptism  is  not  essential 
to  salvation;  just  as  well  say  that  faith,  calling  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  or  grace,  is  unnecessary,  as  that  bap- 
tism is.  The  same  Holy  Spirit  that  said  one,  said  all. 

CHARACTER. 

There  were  three  characters  in  the  New  Testament 
who  asked  the  question,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?" 

1.  The  unbelieving  jailer,  a  pagan,  and  worshiper  of 
false  gods.      Paul  preached  to  him,  he  believed,  repented 
(for  he  washed  their  stripes)  and  was  baptized. 

2.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Jews  heard 
these  words  they  were  pierced  to  their  hearts  (this  was 
faith),  and  cried  out,  "  What  shall  we  do?"     Peter  said, 
"  Repent  and  be  baptized." 

3.  Christ  appeared  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  to  make  him  an 


24  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

apostle.  It  was  necessary  that  he  should  see  Christ  after 
he  had  risen  from  the  dead,  in  order  to  be  a  witness  of 
His  resurrection.  No  doubt  he  had  often  seen  Christ  in 
his  walks  about  Jerusalem.  He  was  a  very  pious  Jew, 
but  a  very  wicked  persecutor  of  the  Christians,  hunting 
them  from  city  to  city  to  put  them  to  death.  Before 
Saul  could  commence  his  work,  be  must  be  made  a  Chris- 
tian. This  vision  of  Christ  produced  faith,  and  when 
the  risen  Saviour  charged  him  with  persecuting  Him,  it 
smote  him  to  the  heart,  and  he  cried  out  in  bitter  repent- 
ance, "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"  Saul,  I 
can  not  tell  any  man  what  to  do  for  remission  of  sins.  I 
have  sent  men  out  to  teach  all  nations.  "  Go  to  Damas- 
cus, and  there  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." 
Christ  did  not  say :  "  Saul,  you  can  do  it  if  you  like,  or 
not ;  if  it  is  perfectly  convenient/'  but  "  what  thou  must 
do."  When  the  Christian  teacher,  Ananias,  came  and 
found  this  pious  Jew  praying,  what  did  he  say?  "  Pray 
on,  brother  Saul,  peradventure  God  will  pardon  you ;  I 
will  pray  for  you"?  Nay;  all  he  said  was:  "Saul,  why 
tarriest  thou?  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away 
thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  in  addition 
to  your  prayers  to  God. 

The  unbeliever  had  three  things  to  do :  first,  to  be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  second,  to  repent ;  third, 
to  be  baptized.  The  believing  Pentecostians  were  com- 
manded to  "  repent  and  be  baptized,"  as  the  preaching  of 
Peter  had  already  made  them  believe;  they  had  two 
things  to  do.  Saul  did  believe,  did  repent,  and  had  but 
one  thing  that  he  must  do — be  baptized. 

For  over  an  hour  the  speaker  held  the  audience  spell- 
bound by  his  eloquent  and  forcible  presentation  of  the 
truth.  For  ten  vears  I  had  been  in  Saul's  condition. 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    Ilol-nN.  25 

My  iiimily  were  all  devoted  Baptists,  and  when  the  yearly 
protracted  meetings  were  held  I  was  always  at  my  place 
on  the  mourner's-bench,  crying,  like  Saul,  for  mercy.  I 
was  taught  that  God  was  very  angry  with  me,  and  that 
when,  by  tears  and  strong  cries,  I  had  appeased  His  wrath, 
He  would  send  His  Holy  Spirit  down  and  in  some  tangi- 
ble way  make  me  conscious  that  my  sins  were  forgiven. 
Still  I  was  impressed  that  there  was  something  for  me 
to  do.  I  would  ask  the  aged  man  of  God,  "  What  must  Ir 
what  can  I  do  to  be  forgiven  ?"  \V  ithout  an  exception  the 
answer  was,  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  you 
will  be  saved."  I  know  I  wanted  to  believe,  I  prayed 
that  I  might  believe,  and  I  thought  I  did  believe.  I  do 
not  think  I  can  remember  the  time  when  I  did  not  be- 
lieve and  love  God  and  Christ,  yet  no  peace  came. 

The  minister  closed  his  sermon  with  a  touching  ap- 
peal to  sinners.  I  do  not  remember  the  song,  nor  the 
benediction ;  I  felt  as  one  walking  in  a  dream.  I  had 
never  seen  a  Christian  preacher,  nor  ever  heard  a  gospel 
sermon  before.  My  only  thought  was,  Can  this  be  true  ? 
Can  we  understand  the  Bible  for  ourselves?  I  was  anx- 
ious to  be  at  home,  with  my  Bible  in  my  hand,  to  see  if 
these  things  were  so.  I  read  the  "  Acts  of  the  Apostles" 
through  twice,  before  I  retired.  It  was  all  there,  just  as 
the  preacher  had  said.  No  word  was  taken  from,  nor 
one  added,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  understood 
the  scheme  of  redemption. 

I  felt  satisfied  with  myself;  I  had  believed,  I  had  re- 
pented, I  had  been  baptized  (so  I  thought),  though  there 
was  not  much  water  there  when  the  act  was  performed. 
Then  with  this  new  light  I  could  walk  bravely  on  in  my 
Christian  life,  and  read  and  interpret  the  divine  word  for 


26  LIFE   OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

myself.  I  never  once  dreamed  that  added  light  would 
send  me  adrift  from  all  my  old  moorings. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  as  I  had  been  taught 
to  call  it ;  and,  thank  God,  it  was  the  last  Sabbath  I  slept 
in  the  tomb  of  sectarianism.  I  remained  at  home  until 
evening,  reading  the  new  revelation ;  but,  in  the  midst 
of  my  rejoicing,  there  came  a  sudden  thought.  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  these  contemned  people  are  right,  and  all  these 
denominations  that  I  have  known  from  childhood  are 
wrong?  It  was  a  startling  idea  to  one  who  had  never 
heard  of  the  Christian  Church,  but  always  heard  it  called 
Campbellite  or  New  Light. 

I  tried  to  console  myself  with  the  thought  that,  so  I 
was  in  the  church,  it  did  not  matter  what  branch  I  be- 
longed to,  as  all  worshipers  of  every  nation,  kindred  and 
tongue  belonged  to  the  invisible  church  of  God.  Thus 
firmly  settled  that  all  was  well  with  me,  and,  strong  in 
the  armor  of  sectarian  prejudice,  I  sought  an  interview 
with  a  lady  belonging  to  the  contemned  sect,  whose  ac- 
quaintance I  had  made  without  knowing  her  religious 
status,  until  I  saw  her  in  church  among  the  members.  I 
found  her  at  home,  and  pleased  to  see  me,  expressing  her 
gratification  that  I  was  at  church  the  night  before.  With- 
out any  preliminaries,  we  entered  at  once  upon  the  discus- 
sion of  our  different  views  religiously.  Each  of  us  had  a 
Testament.  Step  by  step  she  drove  me  from  what  I 
thought  my  impregnable  position. 

Just  as  we  were  in  the  height  of  our  argument,  visitors 
were  announced,  and  the  two  preachers  entered  the  parlor. 
After  an  introduction,  Sister  C.  stated  my  difficulties  to 
Bro.  Henderson.  His  clear  and  concise  reasoning  soon 
demolished  my  last  stronghold,  and,  humiliated  and  mor- 
tified, I  rose  to  leave.  Mrs.  C.  asked  me  if  I  would  like 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    II.    HoI'SON.  27 

for  her  to  call  for  me  to  go  to  church  with  her.  I  could 
scarcely  repress  the  tears  of  vexation,  and  steady  my  voice 
enough  to  decline  her  invitation. 

I  went  home,  thanking  that  other  preacher  in  my 
heart  that  he  forbore  to  say  a  word.  He  did  not  even 
seem  to  have  heard  the  conversation. 

When  church  time  arrived,  a  spirit  of  perversity 
seized  me,  and  I  determined  to  go  to  meeting  that  night 
to  show  those  people  I  was  not  afraid  of  their  sons  of 
thunder.  I  thought  I  was  satisfied  that  "  any  application 
of  water  to  the  person  in  the  name  of  the  Trinity  "  was 
baptism,  and  that  I  was  as  much  a  member  of  the  body 
of  Christ  as  any  of  the  new  sect. 

Dr.  Hopson  preached  that  night  on  the  conversion  of 
the  eunuch.  His  first  point  was,  The  qualification  of 
the  preacher.  The  second,  the  ignorance  of  the  eunuch. 
Third,  Jesus  only  was  preached,  and  fully.  Fourth, 
where  learned  the  eunuch  of  water?  Fifth,  the  confes- 
sion and  its  meaning.  Sixth,  did  he  rejoice  before  or 
after  his  baptism?  Seventh,  was  he  pardoned  or  not? 
Eighth,  if  I  baptize  a  man  on  that  confession,  will  I  do 
right  or  wrong  ?  Whom  shall  we  trust  if  we  believe  not 
Jesus  Christ  ?  "  If  I  do  wrong,  Philip  did  wrong,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  did  wrong,  for  He  directed  the  evangelist 
in  every  act." 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  heard  of  a  scriptural 
mode  of  baptism.  "  They  both  went  down  into  the  water, 
and  he  baptized  him ;  and  when  they  came  up  out  of  the 
water  he  rejoiced."  I  was  stripped  of  my  baptism,  and, 
of  course,  of  my  church ;  for,  if  I  had  not  been  baptized, 
I  was  not  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  nor  could  I  be.  I 
had  never  gone  down  into  the  water,  nor  been  buried  or 
planted  with  Christ  in  the  likeness  of  his  death. 


28  LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

When  the  preacher  closed  his  sermon  amid  breathless 
silence,  the  invitation  hymn  was  sung.  I  walked  forward 
the  first  one  that  night  to  take  a  stand  upon  the  Bible  alone. 
I  had  no  thought  of  such  a  step  until  conscience  and  con- 
viction forced  me  to  it.  I  did  not  desire  to  take  the  step; 
I  knew  it  would  meet  the  condemnation  of  every  relative 
and  friend  I  had  in  the  world.  I  should  leave  a  popular 
and  influential  church,  to  connect  myself  with  a  despised 
and  ostracised  people.  Xne  struggle  was  short.  Christ, 
peace,  and  infinite  rest  was  what  I  sought,  and  I  left  all, 
if  need  be,  to  gain  it. 

I  was  immersed  by  Dr.  Hopson  Monday  morning 
following,  and  from  that  hour  till  now  I  have  never  had 
the  shadow  of  a  religious  doubt,  and  have  rejoiced  in  the 
truth  always. 

The  meeting  continued  two  weeks,  and  it  was  a  per- 
petual love-feast  with  the  brethren.  Their  houses  were 
thrown  open,  and  the  new  converts  were  made  to  feel 
welcome  and  at  home  in  their  new  relation.  Bro.  Hen- 
derson and  wife  were  a  nucleus  for  many  social  gatherings, 
while  the  silent  Doctor  seemed  to  be  a  looker-on  rather 
than  a  participant. 

"Did  you  not  fall  in  love  with  Dr.  Hopson,  when 
you  learned  he  was  a  widower?"  No,  I  can  not  say 
that  I  did.  I  will  give  you  several  reasons  :  First,  he 
was  a  minister.  For  many  years  of  my  life  my  father  had 
lived  next  door  to  a  Baptist  parsonage.  I  had  seen  the 
deprivations  and  makeshifts  of  a  preacher's  wife  and 
family,  and  had  long  ago  made  up  my  mind  that  i  would 
never  marry  a  preacher.  Then  he  was  a  doctor.  I  thought 
that  next  to  preaching,  it  was  the  poorest  calling.  If  he 
did  not  starve  his  family,  he  would  be  bringing  all  sorts 
of  diseases  home  to  them — measles,  scarlet  fever,  whoop- 


i. in:  OF  nit.  \s\  11.   HOI-SON.  29 

ing- co ugh,  small  pox.  No,  I  could  never  marry  a  doc- 
tor! Worse  than  these,  he  was  a  Mason.  If  there  \\:i- 
anything  intolerable,  it  would  be  to  have  your  husbaud 
go  to  the  lodge  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  be  in 
the  possession  of  a  secret  you  could  never  buy  nor  beg 
from  him.  Then,  in  addition  to  all  these  objections,  he 
was  a  widower.  To  do  him  justice,  I  really  thought  that 
what  there  was  left  of  him  after  subtracting  these  four 
objections,  was  very  good  ;  but  it  was  clearly  not  a  case 
of  love  at  first  sight. 

Of  one  thing  I  am  sure — that  we  did  not  have  any 
time  for  talking  until  the  meeting  closed ;  his  con- 
versation was  nearly  always  directed  to  the  gentle- 
men. The  meeting  closed,  and  the  next  day  was 
fixed  for  the  departure  of  the  Evangelist.  When  the 
down  boat  reached  Dubuque,  some  of  the  machinery  was 
broken,  and  she  had  to  lay  up  for  repairs.  The  next  two 
days  were  spent  by  a  large  company  of  the  members  vis- 
iting points  of  interest  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  be  among  the  number,  and  still 
more  fortunate  in  having  the  silent  Doctor  for  my  es- 
pecial escort.  We  had  a  delightful  time,  and  spent  the 
whole  day  in  rambling  over  hills  and  eating  dinner.  I 
enjoyed  it  very  much,  and  almost  lost  sight  of  the  four 
objections,  but  not  quite.  On  consulting  my  feelings 
some  four  months  afterward,  and  comparing  them  with 
those  at  that  time,  I  feel  quite  sure  I  was  not  in  love  then. 

The  brethren  left  Dubuque  April  29th.  Dr.  Hopsou 
asked  permission  to  write  to  me.  We  agreed  to  corre- 
spond, the  result  of  which  was  a  proposal  of  marriage, 
about  the  1st  of  August,  which,  with  my  usual  good 
sense,  I  accepted,  the  four  objections  notwithstanding. 
Distance  had  reduced  their  size  wonderfully.  His  next 


30  LIFE    OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

letter  asked  me  to  set  a  time  for  our  union.  I  named 
April,  1851.  He  wrote,  in  answer,  that  he  would  be  in 
Dubuque  the  first  day  of  October,  and  I  must  be  ready 
to  return  to  Missouri  with  him,  giving  me  three  weeks 
to  get  ready. 

He  arrived  the  28th  of  September,  and  we  were  mar- 
ried the  30th,  1850,  Bro.  M.  Mobley,  one  of  the  elders 
of  the  congregation,  performing  the  ceremony.  The  dear 
old  man  is  still  living  in  Washington  city,  and  wrote  me 
just  after  Cleveland  was  elected.  He  says  : 

"  I  returned  to  the  city  in  the  spring  of  1881,  and  got  a  good 
place  in  the  Pension  Office,  where  I  am  now  laboring  to  aid  the 
new  Administration  to  get  into  good  running  order  ;  and  when  I 
think  the  machine  can  run  without  me,  I  will  go  home  and  spend 
the  remaining  years  of  my  life. 

"  I  have  been  wonderfully  preserved,  and  feel  very  thankful 
to  a  kind  Providence.  Here  I  am,  eighty-five  years  old ;  mind 
and  memory  unimpaired ;  sight  as  good  as  it  ever  was,  and  phys- 
ically able  to  work  at  my  desk  fro'rn  9  A.  M.  till  4  P.  M.,  and  not 
feel  weary." 

I  had  a  letter  from  him  not  long  ago;  he  is*  still 
living — eighty-seven  years  old  this  spring. 

*  Bro.  Mobley  died  since  this  manuscript  was  sent  to  press. 


CHAPTER   V. 

A  Proposition. — Visit  to  his  Mother. — Return  to  Fayette.— Call 
to  Act  as  State  Evangelist  — Visit  to  Columbia,  Paris,  Mexico. 
— Providential  Escape. — Meeting  in  the  Court-house  in  Mex- 
ico.— Debate  with  Elder  Wm.  G.  Caples. 

When  we  had  been  married  but  a  few  hours,  he  said 
to  me,  "  Now,  Ella,  I  want  you  to  understand  my  views 
in  regard  to  our  future  relationship.  I  shall  be  compelled 
to  be  from  home  frequently,  to  attend  conventions,  hold 
meetings,  etc.  I  shall  always  take  you  with  me  when  I 
can.  I  will  select  a  home  where  we  will  stay  at  night. 
You  are  to  make  all  arrangements  for  dining  and  taking 
tea ;  I  do  not  want  to  dine  or  sup  at  one  house  and  you 
at  another.  I  will  always  be  ready,  when  church  time 
comes,  to  escort  you,  and  not  leave  you  to  the  care  of 
strangers,  or  to  find  the  way  the  best  you  can  by  yourself." 

Never,  during  our  married  life,  has  he  failed  to  fulfill 
his  self-imposed  task.  •  He  would  rarely  ever  visit  with- 
out me.  I  would  often  say :  "  Doctor,  it  does  not  suit 
me  to  go  to-day."  "  Then  it  does  not  suit  me,"  he  would 

v 

respond;  "I  am  ready  to  go  whenever  you  are." 

Our  first  visit,  after  our  marriage,  was  to  see  the  Doc- 
tor's mother  in  St.  Louis,  where  we  met  a  most  cordial  wel- 
come. We  only  remained  a  few  days,  when  we  went  up 
to  Hannibal  and  remained  over  Lord's  day,  the  guests  of 
Capt.  Archie  Robards.  We  went  by  stage  through  Paris 
and  Huntsville  to  Fayette,  where  my  work  as  a  preach- 
er's wife  fairly  began.  From  that  time  till  now,  our  lives 


32  LIFE   OF   DK.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

have  been  so  thoroughly  united  that  I  am  frequently 
oalled  upon  to  use  the  pronoun  we,  and  hope  I  shall  not 
be  accused  of  egotism  in  so  doing. 

He  preached  in  Fayette  and  Howard  counties  until 
January,  except  one  Sunday  in  the  month  at  Brunswick, 
thirty-five  miles  from  Fayette.  He  held  a  meeting  of 
two  weeks  there,  and  I  accompanied  him  once,  riding  all 
the  way  on  horseback.  The  snow  was  six  inches  deep, 
and  the  roads  impassable  for  a  buggy. 

In  January,  1851,  the  State  meeting  appointed  and 
called  him  to  accept  the  position  of  State  Evangelist,  as 
one  who  was  able  to  state  fully  and  clearly  the  truths  of 
the  Reformation  to  the  people.  After  some  prayerful 
thought,  he  consented,  and  began  his  work  at  once.  He 
thought  it  best  to  confine  his  operations  to  the  towns  and 
cities  during  the  winter  months,  and  visit  country  places 
in  the  spring  and  summer,  when  churches  there  would  be 
more  accessible. 

Father  Hayden  took  possession  of  him  at  once,  and 
took  him  with  him  to  Springfield,  to  hold  his  first  meet- 
ing. They  went  in  Father  Hayden's  private  carriage, 
and  held  a  meeting  of  two  weeks.  The  result  was  a 
large  accession  to  the  church. 

On  his  return  he  began  a  year's  work  I  shall  never 
forget.  We  left  Fayette  the  last  of  January.  The 
Doctor  had  two  good  horses  and  a  buggy ;  our  baggage 
was  in  a  trunk  strapped  on  behind,  and  a  small  valise  in 
front.  We  only  took  with  us  what  we  absolutely 
needed.  His  first  meeting  was  held  at  Columbia.  We 
were  the  guests  of  Pres.  Shannon,  that  prince  of  en- 
tertainers, and  his  lovely  family.  He  was  grand  in  his 
scholarship  and  attainments,  but  grander  in  his  simplic- 
ity. He  was  as  lovable  as  a  little  child. 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  33 

% 

After  Dr.  Hopson  had  preached  one  or  two  sermons, 
he  asked  President  Shannon  to  criticize  him  in  manner, 
matter  and  pronunciation.  He  promised  he  would  do  so. 
After  our  return  from  church  that  night,  the  Doctor 
called  for  his  report.  He  said :  "  I  have  not  a  single 
suggestion  to  make  as  to  manner  or  matter."  The  Doc- 
tor was  gratified,  of  course,  and  said,  "  How  many  words 
did  I  mispronounce?"  "  Well,  Doctor,  how  many  words 
do  you  suppose  you  used  ?"  "  I  suppose  eight  or  ten 
thousand."  "  Then  )  ou  mispronounced  all  but  one — 
leisure"  The  Doctor  was  aghast.  In  a  moment  the 
President  burst  out  laughing.  "  According  to  your 
standard  (Webster),  all  were  pronounced  right  but  one ; 
according  to  mine  (Worcester),  all  were  wrong  but  one." 
You  may  imagine,  if  you  can,  the  Doctor's  relief  at  the 
explanation. 

He  preached  two  weeks,  and  closed  his  meeting  with 
thirty-six  additions. 

From  Columbia  he  went  to  Paris,  and  spent  two 
weeks,  resulting  in  some  forty  additions.  Bro.  J.  C. 
Fox  entertained  us.  Paris  was  the  banner  church,  ;is 
Monroe  was  the  banner  county,  of  Missouri.  It  could 
not  fail  to  be,  with  such  men  as  brethren  Thomas,  Fox, 
Crutcher,  Conyers,  Moss,  and  a  score  of  others. 

Mexico  was  the  next  point.  Our  brethren  had  no 
building  in  which  to  worship,  and  the  court-house  was 
secured  for  the  meeting. 

We  left  Paris  on  a  cold,  rainy  March  morning.  It 
had  snowed  all  night,  and  about  two  or  three  inches 
of  beautiful  snow  lay  on  the  ground.  We  traveled 
slowly  on,  the  snow  melting  and  the  rain  increasing, 
until  the  horses  would  almost  refuse  to  face  it.  The 
streams  along  the  route  had  become  so  swollen  that  Dr. 


34  LIFE   OF   DK.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Hopson  had  taken  one  of  the  horses  out  several  times, 
and  ridden  across  them,  to  test  the  depth.  We  reached 
Skull  Lick,  a  narrow  stream  four  miles  from  Mexico, 
just  at  sunset.  It  did  not  look  dangerous,  and  it  was  so 
late,  the  Doctor  said  he  would  venture  across  without  his 
usual  precaution.  The  road  into  it  led  through  a  deep 
cut  in  the  bank,  but  little  wider  than  the  wagon  road. 
He  drove  in,  and  by  the  time  the  hind  wheels  entered 
the  stream  the  water  was  up  to  the  middle  of  the  horses. 
The  Doctor  soon  saw  they  would  be  in  swimming  water, 
and  told  me  to  get  up  on  the  buggy  seat  and  jump  to 
the  bank,  which  was  just  level  with  it.  I  was  not  slow 
in  obeying  my  husband,  and  landed  safely.  He  threw 
our  satchel  and  buffalo  robe  after  me,  and  drove  on.  In 
another  moment  the  buggy  was  ought  of  sight,  and  only 
his  head  and  shoulders  visible.  One  horse  could  not 
swim,  but  would  go  to  the  bottom  and  spring  out  of  the 
water  and  sink  again.  Fortunately,  the  stream  was  nar- 
row, else  he  would  have  been  drowned.  It  was  an  awful 
moment;  I  was  paralyzed  with  terror  and  utterly  power- 
less. Before  the  horses  became  exhausted,  they  struck 
the  bank ;  but  the  swift  current  had  washed  them  below 
the  ford,  and  the  tongue  of  the  buggy  caught  on  some 
willows,  throwing  both  the  horses  down  into  the  water. 
One  got  up,  and,  in  the  struggle,  put  his  foot  oo  the  other 
horse's  collar  and  held  him  under  the  water.  The  Doctor 
jumped  as  far  toward  the  shore  as  he  could,  going  com- 
pletely under  the  water,  and,  swimming  out,  he  got  the 
horses  free  and  their  heads  out  of  the  water.  He  then 
called  for  me  to  come  over  and  help  him.  I  could  not 
swim,  and  saw  no  sort  of  bridge ;  but,  after  wading  along 
the  bank  through  slush  and  snow,  I  found  a  fallen  tree 


I. IKK    OF    1>K.   \\.    II.    HOPSON.  35 

about  fifty  yards  above  the  ford,  and  crawled  through 
the  branches  onto  the  body  and  got  across  safely. 

I  held  the  horses'  heads  above  water  by  the  bridles 
until  the  Doctor  could  cut  the  harness  loose  and  get  them 
up  the  bank.  The  poor  things  shook  as  if  with  ague, 
they  were  so  thoroughly  chilled  in  the  icy  stream.  The 
Doctor  called  repeatedly  for  help.  At  last  a  man  who 
was  skinning  a  deer  half  a  mile  away  heard  him  and  came 
to  his  assistance.  After  a  severe  struggle  they  succeeded 
in  getting  the  buggy  to  the  bank  and  over  a  deep  gully 
into  the  road.  By  dark  they  had  mended  the  harness 
with  raw  deer-hide. 

We  had  a  long  hill  to  ascend,  up  which  I  walked  to 
restore  the  circulation  to  mj  chilled  feet.  It  was  dark  when 
we  reached  the  top.  I  could  but  think  of  the  darkness 
we  read  of  as  covering  Egypt — it  was  simply  impenetrable. 
We  could  not  see  our  hand  before  our  face,  and  still  had 
four  miles  of  dangerous  road  to  travel.  There  were  few, 
if  any,  houses  near  the  road,  and  we  pushed  on,  trusting 
in  God.  We  reached  Mexico  at  9  o'clock.  No  one  ex- 
pected us  after  dark,  but  we  received  a  warm  welcome  at 
the  home  of  John  B.  Clark,  a  noble  Jason  whose  good 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  church.  We  could  scarcely 
convince  our  friends  we  were  really  there,  and  the  next 
day  several  gentlemen  rode  over  part  of  the  road  we 
had  traveled  the  night  before,  to  see  if  we  were  telling 
the  truth.  We  had  indeed  come  over  a  bridge  on  which 
there  was  not  a  single  plank.  The  bridge  had  washed 
away  a  number  of  times,  and  the  county  determined  to 
build  a  substantial  structure  next  time.  They  had  cut 
down  large  trees,  and  laid  them  across  for  stringers ;  after 
hewing  the  top  level,  they  were  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
eighteen  inches  wide.  There  were  four  of  them  laid 


36  LIFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

down,  a  few  feet  apart.  When  the  horses  came  to  it  they 
refused  to  move.  The  Doctor  knew  something  was 
wrong,  and  got  out  of  the  buggy,  and  with  his  whip 
handle,  felt  his  way  along  and  struck  one  of  the  stringers. 
He  knew  it  must  be  something  like  a  bridge  by  the 
sound.  He  walked  across  and  back,  rapping  with  his 
whip.  He  then  took  hold  of  the  bridle  of  his  leader? 
which  would  follow  him  anywhere.  Each  horse  and  the 
wheels  took  a  log,  and  we  were  landed  safely  on  the  other 
side  instead  of  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine  thirty  feet  deep. 
When  the  gentlemen  found  the  tracks  on  the  hewn  logs 
and  told  us  of  the  awful  danger  we  had  escaped,  I  felt 
that  God  had  most  wonderfully  preserved  our  lives  that 
day,  and  I  felt  so  thankful  for  his  mercies  that  I  did  not 
grieve  very  much  when  I  opened  my  trunk,  which  was 
under  the  water  half  an  hour,  and  found  everything  in 
it  saturated  with  water,  my  Sunday  bonnet  ruined,  the 
color  of  a  green  cashmere  dress  washed  out,  and  discol- 
ored ribbons,  gloves,  handkerchiefs.  I  thought  of  the 
old  story  of  the  milkmaid,  ''And  green  it  shall  be/'  and 
tried  to  make  the  best  of  it.  Some  may  call  our  escape 
good  luck ;  I  call  it  a  special  providence.  This  was  my 
baptism  and  consecration  as  a  preacher's  wife. 

For  two  weeks  he  preached  to  a  crowded  court-house. 
He  had  thirty-five  additions,  the  church  was  greatly 
strengthened,  and  took  a  new  impetus,  and  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  churches  of  the  State.  He  held  several 
meetings  there  afterwards,  at  one  of  which  he  had  ninety 
additions,  and  at  another  forty  or  fifty.  Elders  Jacob 
and  Joseph  Coons  both  lived  there,  and  always  aided  the 
Doctor  by  prayers  and  exhortations,  and  Bro.  T.  M.  Allen 
would  always  come  to  the  Doctor's  meetings  when  he 


LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    IIOP8ON.  37 

could  leave  home.     The  Doctor  was  always  proud  of  the 
sympathy  and  encouragement  of  these  dear  old  men. 

From  Mexico  the  Doctor  went  to  Hannibal,  to  hold  a 
meeting,  which  was  turned  into  a  debate  by  the  following 
appeal  from  twenty-five  gentlemen,  none  of  whom  were 
members  of  the  Christian  Cliurch  : 

"HANNIBAL,  March  25,  1851. 

"  Rev.  W.  G.  Caples  and  Rev.  Dr.  Hopson,  Gentlemen : — We, 
the  undersigned  citizens  of  Hannibal,  would  be  gratified  if  you 
would  meet  and  publicly  discuss  the  points  of  difference  between 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  Reformed  or  Christian 
Church.  An  early  answer  is  required. 

"  Respectfully,  etc.  (Names)." 

"  Gentlemen : — In  compliance  with  the  above  invitation,  the 
undersigned  agree  to  meet  at  the  Methodist  Church  South,  in  the 
city  of  Hannibal,  on  the  7th  day  of  April  next,  at  9  o'clock  A.  M., 
and  discuss  the  following  propositions : 

"  First  Proposition — Sprinkling  or  pouring  water  on  a  believer, 
by  an  authorized  person,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  is  Christian  baptism.  Mr.  Caples  affirms. 

"  Second  Proposition — To  the  Penitent  believer,  baptism  is  for 
the  remission  of  sins.  Dr.  Hopson  affirms. 

"  Third  Proposition — The  infant  children  of  believing  parents 
are  proper  subjects  of  Christian  baptism.  Mr.  Caples  affirms- 

"  Fourth  Proposition — The  Holy  Spirit  in  conversion  operates 
only  through  the  word.  Dr.  Hopson  affirms. 

"  The  debate  to  be  continued  from  day  to  day,  until  the  sev 
eral  propositions  are  disposed  of. 

"  WM.  G.  CAPLES, 

"  WINTHROP  H.  HOPSON." 

Bro.  S.  S.  Church,  of  St.  Louis,  was  selected  by  Dr. 
Hopson  to  consult  and  advise  with.  The  debate  occu- 
pied the  whole  week  and  was  very  exciting,  but  did  not 
engender  bitterness,  as  both  parties  were  courteous  and 
maintained  a  Christian  demeanor  throughout.  After 
the  debate  the  Doctor  held  a  very  successful  meeting,  to 
the  great  gratification  of  the  brethren. 

461491 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Visited  my  Relatives  in  Batavia,  111. — My  Brother's  Letter  De- 
scribing the  Meeting. — Other  Visits  Made  there. — His  Esti- 
mate of  Dr.  Hopson. 

As  yet  Dr.  Hopson  had  never  seen  any  of  my  rela- 
tives, and  concluded  to  visit  them  at  this  time.  I  will 
let  my  brother,  M.  N.  Lord,  describe  his  visit  to  Ba- 
tavia, and  my  family : 

"  Dr.  Hopson's  first  visit  to  myself  and  other  relatives  of  his 
wife  then  living  in  Batavia,  111.,  occurred  the  last  of  April,  1851. 
I  was  very  favorably  impressed  at  our  introduction  upon  his 
arrival.  His  personette  pleased  me.  His  dignified,  manly  and 
erect  figure;  his  splendid  physique;  his  trentlemanly,  courtly 
and  pleasing  address;  his  frank,  open  and  kindly  way  of  ap- 
proaching one,  not  only  challenged  one's  admiration  and  com- 
manded respect,  but  it  compelled  one  to  give  him  a  warm  place 
in  one's  heart.  This  much  for  my  first  impression. 

"  At  the  time  I  was  baptized,  there  was  an  understanding 
between  the  Baptists  and  myself,  that  I  would  worship  with 
them  until  I  found  a  people  who  took  the  Bible,  and  the  Bible 
alone,  as  their  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  In  accordance  with 
such  understanding,  I  remained  with  them  until  this  visit  of  Bro. 
Hopson's.  My  position  with  the  Baptists  opened  the  way  for 
him  to  preach  in  the  church.  In  fact,  at  that  time  I  controlled 
the  house.  Another  fortunate  circumstance  occurred  to  make 
the  enterprise  easy.  The  Baptist  minister  was  away  on  a  vaca- 
tion of  two  weeks ;  hence  no  opposition  from  that  quarter.  The 
arrangement  was  made  immediately  after  Bro.  Hopson's  arrival, 
to  speak  several  nights,  as  well  as  on  Lord's  day.  I  had  notices 
circulated  throughout  the  town  and  neighborhood,  and  the  peo- 
ple who  had  never  heard  a  Christian  preacher  came  together  to 
see  what  new  doctrine  this  man  had  to  teach.  Methodists,  Bap- 
tists, Presbyterians,  Congregationalists,  Universalists,  religious 
and  irreligious  people  were  all  represented. 

38 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    II.    HOPSON.  39 

"  What  my  sister  had  written  and  said  to  me  about  Bro. 
Hopson's  ability  as  a  preacher  and  teacher,  had  aroused  my 
curiosity  and  given  me  quite  an  exalted  idea  of  his  power.  It  is 
almost  thirty-six  years  since  that  night,  memorable  to  me.  His 
themes  selected  for  the  occasion,  as  I  now  remember,  were  as 
follows:  'The  Sonship,'  in  which  he  proved  that  God  had 
selected  '  His  Son,'  through  whom  he  spoke  to  man.  Those  who 
have  listened  to  his  logic  and  eloquence  when  presenting  the 
claims  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  especially  when  he  was  at  the 
summit  of  his  fame  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  can  well  imagine 
that  the  mass  of  people  before  him  on  the  first  night  were  spell- 
bound. His  simple  but  clearly  stated  propositions;  his  proof 
adduced;  his  logical  and  masterly  arguments ;  his  summing  up 
his  case  on  the  ends  of  his  fingers — presenting  the  whole  in  such 
a  way  that  all  could  see  the  structure  in  all  its  parts,  and  com- 
prehend and  understand  it.  Added  to  the  matter  presented  was 
his  manner  as  a  speaker.  All  were  pleased ;  but  when,  at  the 
close,  he  made  his  appeal  to  the  people,  all  hearts  were  cap- 
tivated. They  wanted  to  hear  more. 

"The  next  night  the  house  was  crowded  long  before  church 
time.  His  theme  was  '  The  Inauguration.'  As  .it  was  the  first 
night,  so  it  was  the  second.  When  we  separated  for  the  night,  we 
all  agreed  upon  one  point — and  that  was,  we  must  hear  more  of 
the  new  doctrine. 

"  The  third  night,  as  I  sat  in  that  large  and  silent  audience, 
giving  him  my  profound  attention  as  I  listened  to  his  discourse 
on  the  '  Exaltation  and  Coronation  of  the  Son  of  God,'  I  thought 
then,  and  ptill  think,  it  was  the  greatest  subject  ever  presented  to 
men  or  angels.  I  thought  then,  and  still  think,  it  the  most  sub- 
lime theme  that  ever  challenged  the  attention  of  sinners  or  saints  on 
the  earth.  I  thought  then,  and  still  think,  that  the  effort  made 
by  Bro.  Hopson  that  night  has  never  been  excelled,  and  seldom 
equalled.  The  intellectual  structure  reared  by  him  that  night, 
founded  upon  thesublimest  of  all  themes,  was  the  grandest  and 
most  solid  that  mortal  man  ever  gazed  upon.  That  speech,  as  all 
the  others  he  preached  at  that  time,  although  thirty-six  years 
have  intervened,  is  as  fresh  in  my  mind  as  the  night  I  first  heard 
it.  The  impression  made  was  deep,  indelible  and  lasting.  I  can 
repeat  the  sermons  to-day ;  so  with  all  I  ever  heard  him  preach. 
They  were  all  uniform.  Since  I  listened  to  those  discourses  I 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Alexander  Campbell  and  all  of 


40  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

our  distinguished  men — and  we  have  had,  and  now  have, 
preachers  of  great  ability — but  of  them  all,  Dr.  Winthrop  H. 
Hopson,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  my  model  preacher. 

"  His  fourth  speech  was  on  '  Rightly  Dividing  the  Word  of 
Truth.'  This  was  the  one  subject,  of  all  others,  I  most  needed. 
Eternity  will  not  be  long  enough  to  blot  out  the  impression  made 
upon  my  mind.  The  Bible,  from  that  night,  was  no  longer  mys- 
terious in  any  of  its  parts.  It  was  plain  and  simple.  From  that 
date  I  felt  competent  to  instruct  others  in  the  way  of  life.  To 
fhis,  the  many  hundreds  whom  I  have  baptized  will  bear  testi- 
mony. How  little  do  they  realize  that,  under  God,  they  are  in- 
debted to  Bro.  Hopson,  who  was  my  instructor  in  the  Word  ! 

"His  meeting  closed  with  two  confessions  and  baptisms,  al- 
though no  particular  effort  was  made  at  that  time,  as  there  was 
no  Church  of  Christ  in  Batavia,  or  nearer  than  Chicago.  How- 
ever, the  impression  made  upon  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  in  a 
short  time  brought  forth  fruit.  I  soon  had  a  church  organized, 
and  the  work  was  continued.  Bro.  Hopson  returned  in  August, 
1853,  and  held  another  meeting,  which  resulted  in  ten  additions. 
His  stay  was  short. 

"  In  October,  1858,  he  again  visited  us,  and  delivered  seven 
or  eight  discourses  and  had  fifteen  confessions.  I  was  in  business 
in  Chicago,  and  not  present  at  this  last  meeting. 

"  From  Batavia  he  came  into  Chicago.  The  church  in  Chicago 
was  then  worshiping  in  their  new  church,  which  I  had  caused 
the  brethren  to  build  on  Monroe  Street,  Brethren  Honore  and 
Major  furnishing  a  large  portion  of  the  means.  Here  Bro.  Hopson 
held  a  meeting  of  ten  days,  with  about  twenty  additions. 

"Touching  my  impressions  of  Bro.  Hopson,  I  deem  it  proper 
to  state,  in  conclusion,  that  for  thirty -six  years  I  have  looked  upon 
him  as  one  wholly  devoted  to  the  great  interests  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  The  resurrection  and  exaltation  of  the  Son  of  God 
gave  inspiration  and  impulse  to  his  loyal,  loving  and  generous 
heart,  while  every  instinct  of  that  heart  was  interwoven  with  his 
love  for  his  Master  and  his  desire  to  save  sinners  ;  it  was  always 
filled  with  sympathy  for  the  erring,  who  had  alienated  themselves 
from  human  love  as  well  as  divine  favor.  The  victories  of  the 
Gospel  to  him  have  been  grander  in  achievement,  more  glorious 
in  results,  and  far  greater  in  magnitude — because  victories  of 
peace— than  all  the  victories  of  this  world's  wars  have  been  to  its 
heroes. 


IJFE   OF   DR.  W.    II.    IIOI'HON.  41 

"Bro.  Hopson's  rare  gifts  as  a  Christian  orator;  his  clear,  in- 
cisive and  logical  way  of  stating  his  propositions ;  his  convincing 
proofs  and  his  demonstrative  reasoning,  made  him  conspicuous 
everywhere  he  preached.  His  loyalty  to  the  '  Word  of  God ';  his 
fidelity  to  the  truth,  and  his  unfaltering  determination  to  stand 
by  both ;  his  boldness  and  frankness  of  character ;  his  energy 
and  force  of  manner,  and  his  zeal  in  the  advocacy  of  the  claims 
of  Christ  and  Christianity,  classed  him  among  the  ablest  speakers 
in  or  out  of  the  Christian  Church. 

"  His  earth  work,  in  all  probability,  is  finished.  He  is  no 
longer  a  conspicuous  figure  among  his  peers,  in  the  restoration  of 
the  '  Gospel  and  Church  of  Christ ';  his  voice  will  be  heard  no 
more  in  the  councils  of  the  brotherhood:  but  his  fidelity  to 
Christ,  his  example  in  the  church  and  before  the  world,  with  the 
great  work  he  has  done,  will  be  cherished  in  the  loving  hearts  of 
thousands  of  his  brethren  and  sisters  in  Christ,  who  remember 
him  in  the  strength  of  his  manhood. 

"  M.  N.  LORD. 

"  GLEN  LORD,  Mich.,  February,  1887." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Visit  to  Pittsfield,  Carrollton,  Galloway  Co.,  Booneville. — Ma- 
sonry more  Liberal  than  Sectarianism. — Visit  to  Warsaw. — 
Primitive  Hospitality. — Visit  to  Versailles. 


On  our  way  to  Batavia,  in  1851,  after  the  debate  in 
Hannibal,  we  visited  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Jones 
Clark,  an  uncle  of  Dr.  Hopson,  lived.  The  Doctor 
preached  there  several  days,  and  had  fifteen  or  twenty 
additions.  It  was  the  home  of  the  eccentric  Billy 
Brown.  From  there  we  went  to  Carrollton,  and  left  our 
horses  and  buggy  until  our  return.  We  had  a  romantic 
trip  on  the  Illinois  river  and  the  "raging  kanawl "  from 
Alton  to  Chicago.  Dr.  Hopson  had  an  aunt  living  in 
Carrollton — Mrs.  Lucy  Samuels.  We  paid  her  a  short 
visit  and  left  for  St.  Louis.  We  remained  but  a  few  days 
with  mother,  and  from  there  the  Doctor  drove  through  to 
Fulton  to  visit  our  daughter,  whom  we  had  not  seen  for 
three  months.  She  was  with  her  aunt  in  Fulton,  where 
she  remained  until  we  were  through  the  year's  work  and 
settled  in  Palmyra.  We  then  paid  a  visit  to  the  Doc- 
tor's grandmother,  who  still  lived  on  the  old  homestead 
on  Nine  Mile  Prairie.  While  there,  the  Doctor  preached 
in  the  Antioch  Church,  where  the  Cowherds,  McMahons, 
Duncans  and  Mosbys  were  members.  They  were  a 
grand,  good  people  all  through  that  county.  There  were 
quite  a  large  number  of  additions  to  the  church  during 
the  meeting. 

42 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  43 

From  there  we  crossed  the  river  to  Booneville.  We 
had  very  few  brethren  there.  He  could  not  get  a  church 
to  preach  in,  and  was  refused  the  Court-house  unless  he 
would  give  bonds,  if  the  house  was  burned,  to  pay  dam- 
ages. He  made  himself  known  as  a  Mason,  and  his 
Masonic  brethren  secured  a  hall,  took  the  seats  out  of 
their  lodges,  and  gave  him  a  good  hearing.  He  did  not 
think  best,  under  the  circumstances,  to  attempt  to  organ- 
ize a  church,  but  later  I  think  he  and  Bro.  T.  M.  Allen 
visited  the  city  and  succeeded  in  getting  together  the 
nucleus  of  a  congregation. 

His  next  appointment  was  at  Warsaw,  on  the  Osage 
river.  This  was  his  second  visit  there.  He  preached  in 
town  every  night,  and  during  the  days  at  a  church  four 
miles  in  the  country.  He  had  twenty-five  confessions 
at  Warsaw  and  thirty -three  in  the  country.  During  the 
meetings  he  preached  three  times  a  day,  and  usually  bap- 
tized twice  after  preaching,  in  the  afternoon  and  after 
night  meeting. 

He  closed  his  meeting  at  night,  and  had  barely 
reached  home  when  he  was  attacked  with  a  congestive 
chill  and  came  near  dying,  but  the  third  day  he  got  up 
out  of  bed,  was  assisted  to  mount  a  horse,  and  with  some 
one  to  lead  the  horse  and  another  to  steady  him  in  the 
saddle,  he  rode  down  to  the  river  to  immerse  a  gentleman 
who  was  compelled  to  leave  in  a  few  hours.  One  of  the 
brethren  went  into  the  water  to  assist  him,  but  the  water 
revived  and  stimulated  him  so  he  was  able  to  go  through 
with  his  work. 

His  next  meeting  was  to  be  held  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Bro.  WilUes'  father,  but  he  had  an  appointment  to 
preach  at  Versailles  on  the  way.  In  order  to  meet  his 
engagement  he  said  he  must  leave  Warsaw  that  evening 


44  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

and  go  part  of  the  way.  We  all  remonstrated,  but  he 
was  firm,  and  we  left  at  4  p.  M.  "We  had  a  very  easy- 
riding  buggy  and  two  good,  gentle  horses.  We  made 
him  comfortable,  and  I  drove  for  him.  Sunset  found  us 
in  the  middle  of  a  large  prairie ;  not  a  house  in  sight 
except  a  small  log  cabin.  We  had  ridden  ten  miles,  and 
the  Doctor  was  too  much  fatigued  to  go  further.  The 
prospect  was  not  inviting,  but  we  had  no  alternative  but 
to  call  for  shelter  for  the  night.  The  house  contained 
but  one  room  and  a  small  shed  attached,  but  the  woman's 
pleasant  face  and  her  large  heart  compensated  for  re- 
stricted quarters.  We  were  cordially  welcomed,  but  the 
woman  said  she  had  no  bread  in  the  house  and  only  a 
little  corn  meal,  with  nothing  but  green  corn  and  grass 
for  our  horses.  Thanks  to  dear  Sister  Atkinson,  we  had 
a  basket  filled  with  excellent  lunch,  and  did  not  need  to 
trouble  the  good  woman  further  than  for  a  glass  of  milk. 

After  we  had  made  a  light  supper,  we  gave  the  mother 
and  three  little  ones  all  the  bread,  butter  and  cold  ham 
they  wanted,  and  had  plenty  left  for  another  day.  The 
host  of  the  house  had  gone  to  mill  and  would  not  return 
till  the  next  day.  His  absence  left  ample  sleeping  room. 
There  were  two  large  beds  and  a  trundle-bed  in  the  room. 
The  one  given  us  as  guests  was  a  comfortable,  fat  feather 
bed,  with  two  snowy  woolen  blankets  for  sheets  and  two 
small  pillows  without  cases.  We  accepted  these  with 
thanks,  although  the  thermometer  was  90°.  We  got 
along  very  well,  as  there  was  a  huge  chimney  at  the  end 
of  the  cabin,  the  doors  were  left  open,  and  the  chinking 
was  out  from  between  the  logs  in  places. 

Fatigue  and  a  clear  conscience  soon  put  us  to  sleep. 
We  arose  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock,  in  order  to 
get  a  good  drive  before  the  heat  of  the  day  came  on. 


LIFE   OF   DR.  \\.    II.    HOPSON.  45 

After  two  hours'  ride  we  called  at  a  farm  house,  were 
greatly  refreshed  and  strengthened  by  a  good  breakfast, 
and  our  horses  were  gratified  in  like  manner. 

We  then  drove  till  twelve,  and  found  a  good  resting- 
place  at  a  hotel  with  a  long  porch  in  front  of  it.  I  made 
the  Doctor  a  pallet  on  the  floor,  and  he  was  only  too  glad 
to  stretch  himself  out  and  rest.  We  left  at  four  and 
reached  Versailles  in  time  for  supper  and  a  little  rest 
before  church  time.  The  Doctor  had  to  preach  in  the 
Court-house,  as  we  had  no  church.  He  was  too  weak  to 
stand  up,  and  a  dry-goods  box  was  provided,  from  which 
he  delivered  an  hour's  discourse.  If  I  had  only  known, 
what  has  been  learned  since,  that  Paul  did  not  mean  what 
he  said  when  he  commanded  women  not  to  speak  in 
church,  I  might  have  relieved  my  husband  and  preached 
for  him. 

You  can  not  imagine  how  thankful  we  were  when  we 
found  ourselves  comfortably  housed  in  a  quiet,  airy 
room.  Under  such  circumstances  we  learn  the  meaning 
of  the  word  rest.  We  spent  the  following  day  with  our 
hospitable  hostess,  who  was  a  Methodist.  We  had  no 
members  in  the  town. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Novel  Experiences. — Life  among  a  Primitive  People. — How  I 
became  Popular. — Crowds  Attending  the  Meetings,  Coming 
sometimes  from  Fifty  to  One  Hundred  Miles. 

The  next  three  months  opened  up  to  me  a  new 
glimpse  of  life.  Some  would  have  said  we  were  outside 
the  pale  of  civilization ;  but  we  soon  found  we  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  highest  type  of  civilization — Christian 
civilization.  For  nearly  three  months  we  never  saw  a 
newspaper,  with  the  exception  of  one  number  of  the 
Water  Cure  Journal,  but  plenty  of  Bibles  and  hymn- 
books,  and,  better  still,  we  found  a  Bible  reading,  Bible 
loving,  Bible  obeying  people,  primitive  in  dress,  manner 
of  living  and  worship.  They  had  great  Christian  hearts 
ready  to  drink  in  the  water  of  life  freely. 

For  three  months  the  Doctor  held  a  succession  of 
meetings,  and  at  one  meeting  one  hundred  became  obe- 
dient to  the  faith.  The  country  was  sparsely  settled  at 
that  time,  but  men  and  women  would  follow  from  settle- 
ment to  settlement  to  hear  the  precious  word,  some  com- 
ing from  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  and  staying  two  or 
three  weeks.  They  were  hungering  and  thirsting  for  the 
preaching. 

I  never  knew  the  Doctor  to  be  as  much  "  enthused." 
He  seemed  to  feel  that  every  word  he  uttered  was  seed 
sown  in  good  ground,  that  would  bring  forth  fruit  to  the 
glory  of  God.  We  went  from  house  to  house,  so  as  to 
visit  all  the  people.  Bro.  Philip  Mulkey  was  the  only 


46 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  47 

preacher  in  the  county,  if  not  in  all  that  region.  He 
was  a  faithful,  good  man. 

The  churches  were  nearly  all  built  of  logs,  as  were 
the  houses.  They  were  seated  with  slabs  or  planks  with 
legs  driven  into  them,  and  without  any  backs.  The  men 
came  to  church  in  their  blue  jeans  clothes,  often  coatless  ; 
the  ladies  with  calico  dresses  and  sun-bonnets — the  elder 
women  loften  with  their  blue  calico  tobacco  bags  and 
pipes,  so  as  to  have  a  quiet  smoke  at  recess.  When  they 
went  to  church  it  was  for  all  day.  A  dinner  that  would 
tempt  the  appetite  of  an  epicure  was  always  spread  on 
tables  in  a  grove,  and  all  were  made  welcome. 

The  singing  notified  the  people  that  it  was  time  to 
meet  for  preaching  again.  They  did  not  have  to  sing 
two  or  three  songs  before  the  people  would  gather,  but 
almost  before  the  first  stanza  was  concluded  all  would  be 
in  their  places,  and  the  most  profound  attention  was 
given  to  the  services. 

I  have  often  heard  men  and  women  complain  of 
hard  seats  and  long  sermons  on  Sunday,  who  would  go 
to  a  circus  or  theatre,  sit  on  the  hard  seats  from  two  to 
three  hours,  and  never  cry  out  once.  But  these  dear 
people  never  complained  once  of  hard  seats  or  aching 
backs  while  listening  to  a  sermon  of  one  hour  and  a  half 
to  two  hours,  and  two  or  three  exhortations  and  songs — 
and,  indeed,  would  have  felt  badly  treated  if  the  exer- 
cises had  been  curtailed. 

What  a  grand  interchange  of  religious  views  we  had 
while  discussing  those  delightful  dinners.  There  was 
nothing  too  good  for  the  preacher  and  his  wife. 

One  day  I  made  my  dinner  off  snowy  light  bread, 
golden  butter,  and  the  clearest  honey,  in  the  comb,  sup- 
plemented by  rich  cream.  I  expressed  my  delight  at  the 


48  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

feast.  After  that  enough  honey  was  brought  every  day 
to  tempt  all  the  bees  in  Christendom. 

When  we  first  started  on  our  tour  I  was  a  poor 
talker,  but  my  husband  told  me  I  must  learn  to  talk  to 
the  people,  or  he  should  have  to  send  me  home.  He 
said  that  his  popularity  as  a  preacher  depended  greatly  on 
me.  This  was  something  new  to  me.  I  had  heard  and 
known  much  of  preachers,  but  had  never  heard  much 
about  preachers'  wives.  All  that  I  had  ever  known, 
made  me  feel  very  sorry  for  them.  I  had  never  dreamed 
that  it  was  possible  for  a  preacher's  wife  to  add  to 
the  popularity  of  her  husband. 

With  this  motive  before  me,  I  soon  learned  to  discuss 
the  wheel  and  loom,  poultry,  cheese-making,  planting  in 
the  moon,  curing  bacon,  etc.,  until  I  quite  satisfied  my 
husband,  and  came  near  becoming  the  more  popular. 

I  was  unfortunate  in  not  remembering  people's 
names,  while  he  was  famous  for  calling  by  name 
every  one  that  he  was  introduced  to,  if  he  heard  it 
properly.  He  always  spoke  to  and  shook  hands  with 
those  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made.  I  did,  too,  but 
unfortunately  I  did  not  know  whom  I  did  or  did  not 
know,  and  for  fear  I  should  slight  some  one  of  the 
brethren  or  sisters,  I  shook  hands  with  everybody  that 
looked  at  me  as  if  they  knew  me  ;  so  they  concluded  that 
the  Doctor  was  the  finest  preacher  they  ever  heard,  but 
a  little  bit  proud,  but  that  wife  of  his  was  not  a  bit 
proud — it  did  not  make  any  difference  whether  I  had 
been  introduced  or  not ;  I  was  just  as  friendly  as  if 
I  had/ 

I  enjoyed  the  situation,  you  may  be  sure,  and  got  no 
more  lectures  about  making  my  husband  popular. 

Wherever  we  went  for  the  night  the  crowd  went,  and 


LIFE    OF    DK.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  49 

often  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty  people  stayed  at  the 
same  house  with  us.  You  may  ask  what  disposition  was 
made  of  them.  There  was  usually  two  rooms  and  a  hall 
and  summer  kitchen.  The  brethren  would  sit  outdoors 
under  the  sliade  of  the  trees,  and  talk  with  the  Doctor, 
while  the  sisters  were  cooking  supper.  Those  not  help- 
ing the  hostess  would  honor  me  with  their  attention, 
while  I  told  them  what  things  I  had  learned  of  my  hus- 
band. They  were  eager  to  learn,  and  would  ask  me 
questions  with  which  they  did  not  like  to  trouble  the 
Doctor. 

When  retiring  time  came  we  were  given  the  best 
bed,  with  a  bedstead.  My  large  double  shawl  hung, 
from  the  joists,  made  our  part  of  the  room  private.  As 
soon  as  we  had  retired,  comforts,  blankets,  etc.,  were 
called  into  requisition,  and  the  floor  was  covered  with  the 
sisters,  from  whose  gentle  whispers  we  gained  many 
useful  lessons.  By  the  time  we  were  ready  to  rise,  the 
ladies'  toilets  were  made  and  they  were  out  of  the  room. 
The  other  room  was  occupied  by  the  men  as  a  sleeping 
room.  This  was  our  manner  of  life  for  months.  I  write 
this  to  show  the  training  of  a  preacher's  wife  thirty- 
five  years  ago.  When  I  look  back  I  thank  God  for 
that  experience,  and  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  knowing 
such  God-loving  and  God-fearing  people.  I  have  met 
many  good,  earnest  Christians  since,  but  few  as  un- 
worldly and  fully  devoted  to  the  service  of  God  as 
those.  I  hope  to  meet  them  all  on  the  other  shore,  and 
renew  the  acquaintance  of  other  days. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Doctor's  Meeting  at  Springfield. — Osceola. — The  Man  who  Joined 
Dr.  Hopson. — Calhoun,  Henry  County. — Georgetown,  Pettis 
County. — Cholera. — Confession  and  Baptism  of  Fourteen 
Young  Ladies. 

From  Miller  county  we  went  to  Springfield,  where 
the  Doctor  preached  ten  days.  Some  of  the  time  it  was 
estimated  that  2,000  people  were  in  attendance.  It  was 
the  first  of  August;  the  weather  was  oppressive.  A 
large  arbor  was  built  back  of  the  church,  and  the  win- 
dow taken  out,  so  that  the  people  could  hear  outside  the 
house.  Long  before  the  time  for  preaching,  the  house 
would  be  crowded,  even  the  pulpit  steps  lull.  One  day 
we  were  a  little  behind  the  rest,  and  I  could  not  find  a 
seat  anywhere  but  in  the  pulpit  with  Bro.  Bills,  Father 
Hayden,  and  two  or  three  others.  It  happened  to  be  a 
tall  affair,  and  hid  me  effectually  from  the  people  in 
front,  and  I  tried  to  make  myself  as  small  as  possible. 
I  had  said  to  the  Doctor  often  that  the  church  at  Fayette 
called  me  as  State  Evangelist  first  (as  he  was  absent  when 
it  was  done,  and  I  had  to  notify  him),  and  that  I  was  en- 
titled to  half  the  pay.  When  the  time  came  for  opening 
the  meeting,  instead  of  asking  Bros.  Bills  or  Hayden  to 
open  for  him,  he  turned  'round  and  asked  me.  You  may 
imagine  my  confusion  and  the  intense  amusement  of  the 
brethren.  He  had  to  open  his  own  meeting  that  day. 
When  asked  for  an  explanation,  he  said  if  I  had  half 
pay  I  must  do  half  the  work,  and  he  thought  I  might  as 

50 


LIFE   OF    DIt.  W.    II.    HOP80N.  51 

well  begin  then  as  any  time.     I  never  said  more  about 
dividing  salary. 

Mrs.  John  S.  Phelps,  in  writing  of  the  meeting,  says : 
"  Dr.  Hopson,  who  has  been  holding  a  meeting  in  Spring- 
field, is  now  holding  a  like  meeting  in  Osceola.  In  him 
meet  all  the  characteristics  of  a  gentleman  and  virtues  of 
a  Christian.  All  who  listen  attentively  to  the  glorious 
truths  of  the  gospel  taught  by  him,  are  made  better  mor- 
ally, spiritually  and  intellectually." 

The  secular  press,  in  speaking  of  the  meeting,  says : 
"  Dr.  Hopson  has  been  addressing  our  community  daily 
on  the  subject  of  Christianity  since  Saturday,  and  will 
continue  his  discourses  another  week.  He  is  a  logician 
and  finished  speaker.  Aside  from  all  doctrinal  consider- 
ations, his  addresses  are  highly  intellectual,  chaste,  and 
richly  stored  with  sacred  literature.  Our  highest  enjoy- 
ments are  those  flowing  from  intellectual  exercises,  and 
our  citizens  have  been  partaking  of  a  '  feast  of  reason  ' 
during  the  Doctor's  sojourn  with  us." 

The  meeting  closed  with  thirty-five  additions.  The 
last  week  of  the  meeting,  preaching  was  held  under  an 
arbor  in  the  park. 

After  leaving  Springfield  we  visited  Osceola,  passing 
through  Bolivar.  Half-way  between  the  two  places  the 
Doctor  had  an  appointment  at  a  log  school-house.  When 
we  arrived,  some  twenty  persons  had  assembled  to  hear 
preaching.  Most  of  them  were  barefooted  and  some 
bareheaded.  He  preached  to  them  on  the  "  Things  by 
Which  We  are  Saved."  At  the  conclusion  he  gave  an 
invitation,  and  a  man  came  up  and  made  the  confession. 
Dr.  Hopson  talked  to  him  a  few  minutes,  until  he  found 
that  he  understood  the  plan  of  salvation.  The  nearest 
water  was  a  mile  further  on  our  road.  The  whole  audi- 


52  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

ence  followed  our  buggy  to  the  creek.  The  man  had  no 
preparation  to  make,  as  he  was  dressed  to  suit  the  occa- 
sion ;  pants,  a  shirt  and  straw  hat  was  his  wardrobe,  as 
he  was  barefooted.  The  Doctor  had  an  extra  pair  of 
pants  in  the  satchel,  and,  making  a  hasty  toilet  in  the 
woods,  he  was  soon  ready,  and  baptized  the  man,  who 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  The  Doctor  never  expected 
to  hear  of  him  again,  but  Bro.  T.  M.  Allen  was  preach- 
ing somewhere  on  the  south  side,  when  this  man  came  up 
to  take  membership,  upon  Bro.  Allen's  invitation.  On 
questioning  him,  he  said  he  did  not  know  what  church 
he  belonged  to,  but  that  he  joined  Dr.  Hopson,  and  that 
he  preached  just  like  him.  He  had  his  certificate  of 
baptism  the  Doctor  had  given  him  at  the  time. 

On  our  arrival  at  Osceola  we  were  made  welcome  at 
the  home  of  Bro.  E.  C.  Davis  and  his  most  excellent  and 
lovely  family.  While  the  town  could  boast  of  a  great 
deal  of  intellectuality,  it  was  rather  proud  of  its  infi- 
delity, that  is,  among  some  of  its  leading  men,  especially 
among  the  young  men.  Dr.  Hopson  soon  found  he  had 
to  preach  much  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity  before 
he  could  touch  the  hearts  of  these  people.  This  he  made 
the  objective  point  in  all  his  discourses.  He  made  many 
warm  friends  among  men  of  the  world,  who  gave  him  a 
patient,  candid  hearing  aud  went  to  studying  their  Bibles. 
Seven  confessions  were  the  result  of  the  meeting,  and  it 
was  considered  quite  a  triumph  for  the  cause.  I  copy 
the  following  from  the  town  paper : 

"  PROTRACTED  MEETING. — Dr.  Winthrop  H.  Hopson,  State 
Evangelist  of  the  Christian  Cnurch,  closed  an  interesting  meeting 
last  Monday,  resulting  in  seven  additions  to  the  church.  Through 
twenty-two  discourses,  Dr.  H.  had  the  attention  of  a  large  audi- 
ence, who  were  enchained  by  his  eloquence,  instructed  by  his 
biblical  research,  and  delighted  with  his  rich  illustrations  from 


1.IFK    OF    DR.   W.    II.    IKH'SON.  53 

sacred  literature.  Few  speakers  possess  the  faculty,  in  such  a 
hitrli  degree,  of  gaining  the  undivided  attention  of  a  com- 
munity. 

"Pending  the  meeting,  the  church  at  Osceola  was  duly  onran- 
i/t-d,  and  constituted  a  church  after  the  primitive  order — E.  C. 
Davis,  Elder,  and  Harlan  Hays,  Deacon,  to  the  congregation. " 

Our  next  stopping-place  was  Callioun,  Henry  county 
Dr.  Hopson  had  an  uncle,  Dr.  Logan  Clark,  living  there, 
who  he  was  anxious  to  visit.  We  spent  a  week  with 
him,  the  Doctor  preaching  at  night  and  resting  in  the 
day.  I  think  he  had  several  additions,  but  do  not  re- 
member the  number. 

His  next  appointment  was  at  Georgetown,  Pettis 
county,  four  miles  from  where  Sedalia  now  stands.  It 
was  a  delightful  little  village,  filled  with  most  excellent 
people.  Here  we  met  that  good  man,  Bro.  Allen 
Wright.  He  was  an  old  friend  of  Dr.  Hopson's.  He 
called  on  us  at  once,  and  brought  with  him  a  bottle  of 
cholera  medicine  and  insisted  the  Doctor  should  keep  it 
by  him.  He  said  a  numb,  r  (I  think,  sixteen)  of  deaths 
had  occurred  from  the  disease  a  few  weeks  before,  and 
we  might  be  liable  to  it.  The  Doctor  took  the  bottle 
with  thanks  and  I  put  it  in  my  trunk,  little  thinking  it 
would  perhaps  save  my  life 

I  was  fatigued  and  not  feeling  very  well,  and  did 
not  go  to  church  that  night.  When  the  Doctor  returned 
I  was  still  more  indisposed,  but  did  not  let  him  know 
it.  He  went  to  sleep,  worn  out  with  his  day's  work.  By 
one  o'clock  I  was  very  ill,  unable  to  raise  my  head.  I 
woke  him,  and  he  said  at  once  it  was  cholera  I  was  suf- 
fering from.  He  got  the  medicine  Bro.  Wright  gave 
him,  and  poured  it  down  my  throat  every  hour  until  cir- 
culation was  restored  and  I  was  saved,  but  was  quite  ill 
for  a  week  and  did  not  fully  recover  for  months. 


54  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

His  meeting  here  was  a  very  interesting  one.  A 
singular  feature  was  the  confession  of  fourteen  young 
ladies,  nearly  the  same  age.  Ten  of  them  came  up  at  the 
same  time,  and  the  four  other  at  the  next  meeting.  They 
went  into  the  water  together,  and  were  all  dressed  in 
black  silk.  It  was  a  strange  fancy,  but  they  arranged 
the  matter  among  themselves  and  all  acquiesced.  Before 
they  went  down  into  the  water  the  Doctor  called  me  to 
him,  and  told  me  that  while  he  was  talking  to  the  crowd 
assembled  to  witness  the  baptism,  the  friends  of  the 
young  ladies  should  rip  the  seams  of  their  dress  skirts 
near  the  waist,  so  as  to  let  the  air  rise  up  from  under  the 
skirts,  for  he  could  never  make  them  sink  unless  they 
did.  They  were  very  grateful,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
were  ready.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight  when  they  went 
into  the  water  with  their  arms  around  each  other,  and  all 
remained  till  all  were  immersed. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Close  of  South  Side  Mission.— Swimming  Creeks. — Crossing  Prai- 
ries.— Visiting  Everybody.— Changing  Rooms. — Meetings  at 
New  London,  Paris,  Lick  Creek,  Hannibal. — Change  of  Loca- 
tion to  the  Mississippi  River. — One  Year  and  Four  Months, 
Four  Hundred  Additions. 

The  Doctor's  mission  on  the  South  Side  closed  here, 
and  we  made  our  way  home,  after  an  absence  of  six 
months,  and  a  travel  of  over  1,000  miles  in  our  buggy. 

The  winter  of  1851  was  very  severe  on  us.  The 
Doctor  held  meetings  in  several  country  churches.  In 
order  to  get  to  his  appointments,  he  used  to  have  to 
swim  creeks  with  our  horses,  with  the  water  up  to  the 
buggy  seat.  I  would  get  up  on  the  seat  and  sit  on  the 
satchel,  while  the  Doctor  put  his  feet  on  the  dash-board. 
We  crossed  many  a  stream  in  that  way,  though  they 
were  not  always  quite  so  high.  Sometimes  we  would 
travel  all  day  across  a  broad  prairie,  every  step  the 
horses  took  breaking  through  half  an  inch  of  ice.  Once, 
in  the  middle  of  one,  the  tire  of  one  of  the  hind  wheels 
broke.  The  Doctor  took  the  halters  off  his  horses  and 
strapped  it  on,  and  I  had  to  watch  the  wheel  for  five  or 
six  miles,  while  the  cold  north  wind  was  blowing  a  bliz- 
zard across  the  plain.  Sometimes  after  church  at  night 
we  would  have  to  ride  three  or  four  miles  to  stay  all 
night  with  some  good  brother,  whom  we  were  afraid  we 
should  slight  if  we  did  not  visit  him.  They  were  all  as 
kind  and  good  to  us  as  it  was  possible  for  them  to  be. 

55 


56  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Many  of  the  roads  were  only  fit  for  horseback  travel  at 
that  season  of  the  year.  Often  there  were  gullies  in  the 
middle  of  the  road  as  well  as  on  each  side. 

For  two  months  we  went  everywhere  we  were 
invited,  until  one  very  cold  night  we  went  home  with  a 
dear  old  friend  of  the  Doctor's.  After  a  ride  of  three 
miles  we  arrived  at  the  house.  The  improvements  were 
all  new — a  story  and  a  half  log  house. 

In  order  to  reach  our  room  we  had  to  climb  a  ladder. 
By  the  time  we  went  to  bed  it  was  snowing,  and  I 
noticed  the  snow  found  its  way  into  our  room.  I 
examined,  and  found  there  was  no  chinking  tinder  the 
roof  where  it  rested  on  the  logs,  and  that  we  were  in  for 
a  snow-storm  of  our  own.  I  piled  our  clothes  under 
the  bed,  gave  the  Doctor  my  pillow  to  put  over  his 
head,  and  tucked  mine  under  the  clothes.  When  we 
waked  in  the  morning  there  was  three  inches  of  snow  on 
the  bed  and  over  the  floor. 

The  Doctor  rolled  off  the  lop  cover  and  shook  the 
snow  off  on  to  the  floor,  and  with  it  brushed  a  space 
where  he  could  stand  and  dress.  He  handed  me  my 
clothes,  and  I  dressed  sitting  in  the  bed.  My  fingers 
were  so  cold  I  actually  could  not  feel  the  pins  I  was 
sticking  in  my  clothes. 

On  our  way  to  church  the  next  morning  I  told  my 
husband  we  must  change  our  programme.  "  I  can  never 
stand  this  kind  of  work.  We  must  get  some  place  to 
stay  at  night,  and  keep  it.  I  am  willing  to  visit  in  the 
day,  but  to  sleep  in  a  good,  warm  room  one  night,  and  a 
stone  cold  one  the  next,  is  too  severe  on  me ;  and  it  is  as 
bad  on  you  as  on  me." 

After  that  time  we  made  it  a  rule  to  occupy  the  same 
quarters  every  night  during  a  meeting,  and  visit  all  we 


LIKE    OF    DR.   \V.    II.    HOI'SOX.  57 

could  during  the  day.  I  have  known  several  of  our 
preachers  to  lose  their  health,  and  some  of  them  their 
lives,  by  accepting  the  urgent  invitations  of  loving  and 
good  brethren. 

To  all  who  read  this,  I  say,  If  you  can  not  entertain 
your  minister  comfortably,  do  not  invite  him  to  stay 
with  you,  but  frankly  tell  him  so,  and  he  will  thank  you 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart. 

During  the  fall  and  winter  he  held  meetings  also  at 
New  London,  Paris,  Lick  Creek,  Santa  Fe  and  Palmyra. 
He  writes  from  Palmyra,  Oct.  28,  1851 : 

"  I  have  been  traveling  for  ten  months  as  State  Evangelist,  in 
Missouri  and  Illinois.  I  have  preached  430  sermons,  and  im- 
mersed 365  persons,  and  had  many  added  by  letter  and  other- 
wise." 

At  Paris  he  had  the  able  assistance  of  Bro.  Alfred 
Wilson,  who  was  as  modest  as  he  was  good.  Early  in 
the  beginning  of  1852  he  drifted  back  to  Hannibal,  and 
held  another  meeting.  Dr.  T.  D.  Morton  writes  (Millen- 
nial Harbinger) : 

"  Dr.  Hopson  held  a  two  weeks'  meeting  here,  at  which 
twenty-five  were  added  to  the  church  and  a  fine  impression 
made  on  the  community." 

About  this  time  he  agreed  to  preach  for  the  church  at 
New  London  once  a  month,  having  in  view  a  change  of 
location  to  the  Mississippi  River.  This  was  Feb.  13, 
1852. 

The  March  following  we  went  to  St.  Louis  to  visit 
his  mother,  on  his  way  to  attend  the  Bible  Revision 
{Convention,  at  Memphis. 

On  his  return  from  that  trip  he  held  a  meeting  in 
New  London,  of  which  Bro.  T.  M.  Allen  writes: 


58  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  On  Tuesday  evening  last,  Bro.  H.  closed  a  very  pleasant 
meeting,  with  seven  additions.  They  are  a  warm-hearted,  large 
and  flourishing  congregation,  and  have  just  completed  a  nice, 
commodious  brick  church.  They  are  blessed  with  the  ministerial 
labors  of  Bro.  Hopson  once  a  month." 

During  all  the  years  of  the  Doctor's  preaching  in 
New  London,  our  home  was  with  the  hospitable  Bro. 
Hayes.  Our  room  was  always  ready  for  us  once  a 
month,  and  we  could  drop  in  at  any  time,  day  or  night, 
and  find  a  hearty  welcome. 

His  next  meeting  was  at  Thrasher's  Chapel,  half  way 
between  Hannibal  and  Palmyra.  Dr.  Morton  was  with 
him.  It  closed  early  in  May,  with  seventeen  confessions 
and  baptisms.  This  closed  his  evangelistic  labors  of 
a  year  and  four  months,  during  which  time  he  had  400 
additions. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Locating  in  Palmyra. — Building  up. — Palmyra  Female  Seminary 
a  Private  Enterprise. — Bro.  Knowles  Shaw. — Bro.  J.  J. 
Errett. — Bro.  Creath. — Bro.  L.  B.  Wilkes,  Associate  Princi- 
pal.— Palmyra  Seminary  Incorporated. — Encouraging  Pros- 
pects. 

After  mature  deliberation  and  consultation  with 
prominent  brethren,  he  determined  to  locate  at  Palmyra 
and  build  up  a  college  for  young  ladies. 

There  was  already  a  male  school,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  under  the  able  management  of 
President  Corbyn.  The  opening  for  the  Doctor's  enter- 
prise was  very  favorable.  We  had  a  large  brotherhood 
up  and  down  the  Mississippi  River  able  to  support  the 
institution. 

He  commenced  school  in  our  church  the  1st  of  June, 
1852,  and  soon  had  sixty  girls  and  twenty  little  boys. 
In  a  short  time  applications  came  in  for  him  to  take 
young  ladies  from  a  distance,  with  a  request  that  we 
board  them. 

He  found  the  church  was  not  suitable  for  his  school, 
but  hesitated  to  purchase  a  building,  as  he  had  but  a  few 
hundred  dollars  to  advance,  but  finally  decided  to  do  so. 
He  bought  a  two-story  frame  house  opposite  the  church, 
and  in  a  month  had  four  rooms  arranged  in  it  for  his 
school.  The  lot,  half  of  which  he  purchased  was  100 
feet  wide.  The  man  of  whom  he  made  the  purchase 
was  very  anxious  for  the  Doctor  to  buy  the  whole  lot 

59 


60  LIFE    OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

with  the  other  building,  a  one-story  frame  containing 
three  rooms.  He  wanted  very  little  money  and  would 
give  as  long  time  as  the  Doctor  desired,  so  he  kept  up 
the  interest. 

With  the  very  flattering  prospects  of  the  school,  the 
Doctor  felt  secure  in  closing  the  trade,  and  at  once  put 
another  story  on  the  house,  made  a  basement,  and  when 
the  school  opened,  Sept.  15,  1852,  we  moved  into  the 
house  and  began  the  boarding  department  with  seven 
young  ladies. 

The  sessions  of '52  and  '53  were  very  successful,  and 
before  spring  we  had  application  for  room  for  thirty 
boarders.  He  began,  in  March,  a  building  to  fill  in  the 
space  between  the  two,  of  forty  feet,  three  stories  high, 
including  basement.  This  was  finished  in  time  to  receive 
the  boarders  in  September. 

During  the  vacation  we  visited  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and 
secured  several  pupils;  also,  Batavia,  111.,  where  we  had 
three  promised.  All  came.  He  held  a  meeting  at 
Paynesville,  Pike  county;  Louisville,  Lincoln,  Mexico 
and  Frankford.  At  the  last  named  place  he  met  Bro. 
Knowles  Shaw  for  the  first  time.  The  Doctor  was  on 
his  way  to  Louisville  to  attend  the  State  Convention, 
and  Bro.  Shaw  was  anxious  for  him  to  present  his  name 
to  the  convention,  to  see  if  the  brethren  would  not  send 
him  to  Bethany  College.  The  Doctor  said  to  him : 
"  Brother  Shaw,  nature  has  made  you  a  better  preacher 
than  any  college  ever  can.  You  have  a  peculiar  gift 
that  art  can  never  bestow.  I  will  give  you  a  list  of 
books  that  will  furnish  you  all  the  Greek  and  Latin  you 
will  ever  need,  without  a  teacher.  If  you  are  not  satis- 
fied with  my  advice,  in  another  year  you  shall  go  to 
Bethany."  Bro.  Shaw  thanked  the  Doctor,  took  his 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    II.    HOPSON.  61 

advice,  and,  so  far  as  ever  known  to  the  Doctor,  never 
regretted  tlie  step. 

Bro.  J.  J.  Errett  was  living  in  Palmyra  at  the  time 
we  moved  there.  He  was  in  the  harness  and  saddlery 
business,  and  preaching  as  opportunity  offered,  and  re- 
ceiving but  a  small  remuneration  for  it.  He  was  one  of 
the  loveliest  characters  I  ever  knew,  as  simple-hearted  and 
childlike  as  John  and  as  bold  in  defense  of  right  as  Paul. 

Dr.  Hopson  soon  grew  to  love  him  like  a  brother,  and 
told  him  he  must  give  up  his  business  and  devote  him- 
self to  the  ministry.  He  was  so  modest,  and  had  so  low  an 
estimate  of  his  talents,  it  was  difficult  to  persuade  him  to 
take  the  step.  The  Doctor  told  the  brethren  at  Paynes- 
ville,  Pike  county,  to  call  Bro.  Errett  to  their  church, 
and  he  felt  sure  both  parties  would  be  satisfied  with  the 
arrangement.  The  matter  was  settled  satisfactorily. 
Bro.  Errett  went  to  them,  and  for  more  than  twenty 
years  he  went  in  and  out  before  those  people,  and  never 
left  them  till  Death,  envying  them  their  treasure,  stole 
him  away. 

Brother  Creath  had  his  home  in  Palmyra,  also,  but 
was  almost  always  away,  holding  meetings  in  different 
parts  of  the  State.  Their  intercourse,  so  far  as  the  en- 
gagements of  both  allowed,  was  pleasant.  Dr.  Hopson 
always  regarded  Bro.  Creath  as  one  of  the  most  intel- 
lectual and  grandest  of  men. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  the  Doctor  associated  Bro.  L.  B. 
Wilkes  with  him  as  an  equal  partner,  Bro.  James  Meng 
who  had  been  with  him,  giving  himself  up  to  preaching. 
The  school  opened  with  between  fifty  and  sixty  boarders 
and  a  full  eorps  of  Professors.  The  Doctor  added  to  the 
institute  a  good  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus, 
costing  between  $600  and  $700. 


62  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Palmyra  Female  Seminary  was  incorporated  by  an 
act  of  the  Legislature,  February  5,  1855,  and  "was 
authorized  to  grant  such  literary  honors  as  are  usually 
granted  by  colleges  or  universities  in  the  United  States." 
We  copy  the  following  comment  on  the  act  from  the 
secular  paper : 

"The  reputation  of  this  school  is  so  well  established  as  to  ren- 
der any  notice  at  our  hands  almost  superfluous.  We  consider  it 
one  of  the  best  established  and  best  conducted  institutions  of 
learning  in  the  West,  and  this  mark  of  favor  at  the  hands  of  the 
Missouri  Legislature  was  well  merited. 

"  The  course  of  instruction  is  liberal,  thorough,  and  calculated 
to  bring  into  harmonious  development  all  the  intellectual  and 
moral  qualities  of  the  female  heart.  The  success  of  the  institu- 
tion is  no  longer  to  be  questioned.  It  has  struggled  through  in- 
fancy to  mature  growth,  without  any  extraneous  influence,  and 
has  demonstrated  its  excellence  and  vitality  by  that  standard  to 
which  men  are  <wont  to  attach  ,so  much  importance — success. 
.  .  .  Of  the  learned  gentlemen  connected  with  the  school,  we 
have  had  occasion  heretofore  to  speak,  and  at  present  simply  re- 
mark, that  in  point  of  fitness,  skill,  and  adaptation  to  their  sev- 
eral posts,  their  superiors  can  rarely  be  found.  We  trust  they 
will  be  well  repaid  for  their  labors,  and  that  they  may  be  cheere  i 
and  strengthened  on  all  sides  in  their  high  vocation." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  Preaching  Tour. — Meeting  at  Danville. — Running  against  a 
Camp-Meeting.  —  Wins.  —  Methodist  Cousin.— Number  of 
Additions  during  Summer. 

As  soon  as  school  closed  (June,  1854),  the  Doctor 
left  home  on  his  preaching  tour.  Bro.  T.  M.  Allen 
(letter  to  Harbinger)  says  : 

"  Aug.  14. — This  morning  I  left  Danville,  the  county  seat  of 
Montgomery  county,  and  reached  home  this  evening.  Bro.  W. 
H.  Hopson,  of  Palmyra,  had  commenced  a  meeting  Friday 
night. 

"  I  joined  him  the  following  day,  and  continued  until  Wed- 
nesday night,  up  to  which  time  there  had  been  ten  confessions. 
Bio.  Greenup  Jackman  was  present  part  of  the  time,  and  Bro.  S. 
Jones,  of  Fulton,  came  Wednesday  evening.  He  and  Bro.  Hop- 
son  remained  to  continue  the  meeting  for  one  or  two  days  longer. 
It  was  the  first  time  we  had  ever  had  anything  like  a  hearing  in 
Danville,  and  a  favorable  result  far  exceeded  our  most  sanguine 
expectations. 

"The  Methodists  were  conducting  a  camp-meeting  near  town 
at  the  same  time,  and  had  long  been  in  the  ascendant.  Yet  we 
had  large  congregations  day  and  night,  and  the  interest  was  in- 
creasing up  to  the  time  of  my  leaving." 

This  meeting  was  a  remarkable  one  in  many  respecta. 
Upon  the  Doctor's  arrival  he  found  the  church  he  had 
expected  to  get,  closed  against  him.  It  was  thought  best 
by  some  that  he  should  give  up  holding  the  meeting. 
He  told  them,  no,  he  would  not.  He  had  come  to  hold 
a  meeting  at  Danville,  and,  the  Lord  willing,  he  would 
hold  it.  He  had  some  cousins  who  were  not  in  the 

63 


64  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

church,  and  they  and  their  friends  among  the  young  men 
said  they  would  do  all  they  could  to  aid  him. 

He  told  them  he  would  preach  in  the  court-house. 
They  looked  a  little  perplexed,  but  he  insisted,  and  they 
all  went  over  to  see  what  could  be  done. 

The  Doctor  has  often  since  laughed  over  that  day's 
work.  They  found  the  door  open,  and  some  porkers 
quietly  snoozing  the  noontide  away.  In  the  corners 
spiders  were  weaving  their  silken  webs  undisturbed. 
Blue-bottles  were  buzzing  everywhere.  The  brick  floor 
was  covered  with  dirt  to  the  depth  of  several  inches. 
From  the  walls  hung  festoons  of  dried  cedar,  left  from 
Christmas  festivities.  The  people  were  so  peaceable 
they  had  no  use  for  a  court-house. 

The  outlook  was  not  inviting,  but  willing  hands 
soon  transformed  it  into  a  clean  room,  and  by  next 
evening  it  was  seated  with  plank  and  ready  for  occu- 
pancy. Rustic  chandeliers  were  made  of  pieces  of  wood 
crossed  and  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  while  tin  sconces 
flashed  the  light  from  lamps  on  the  walls. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  young  men  asked  the  Doc- 
tor what  they  could  do  to  help  him  get  a  congregation. 
"  It  will  be  hard  work  to  run  against  a  big  camp-meet- 
ing, but  we  will  stand  by  you." 

He  told  them  to  rally  all  their  friends  and  go  out  to 
the  ramp-meeting,  and  stay  all  day  :  "  Talk  to  all  you  can 
influence,  and  get  them  to  come  in  and  hear  me  at  night. 
If  you  will  get  them  here,  I  will  hold  them." 

The  young  men  rode  out  that  evening,  and  at  night 
the  court-house  was  well  filled  with  young  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  most  of  whom  looked  upon  the  whole  thing 
as  a  frolic. 

With  full  houses  at  night  and  increasing  interest,  he 


LIFE   OF   DR.   \V.    II.    HOPSON.  65 

preached  on  till  Sunday,  Bro.  Allen  joining  him  Sunday, 
and  assisting  by  his  wonderful  exhortations. 

By  this  time  the  audience  had  outgrown  the  house, 
and  the  young  men  had  made  a  large  arbor  at  the  side  of 
the  house  and  taken  out  the  windows,  so  that  all  might 
hear.  By  church  time  the  house  and  yard  were  full  of 
people  who  had  come  to  hear  what  the  babbler  had 
to  suy.  He  made  an  appointment  for  Monday  morning 
and  night;  the  interest  increased.  Bro.  Allen  left  Wed- 
nesday, and  Bros.  Jack  man  and  Jones  held  up  his  hands 
till  Saturday  morning,  when  they  left. 

He  continued  several  days  longer,  and  closed  with 
about  thirty-five  additions.  Twenty  persons  made  the 
confession  the  day  before  the  meeting  ended. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  during  the  meeting. 
A  relative  of  Dr.  Hopson's,  and  her  husband,  were 
good,  pious  Methodists.  They  were  in  attendance  on  the 
camp-meeting  when  the  Doctor  commenced  his  meeting, 
but  the  lady  thought  it  would  never  do  to  let  Cousin 
Winthrop  come  to  Danville,  and  she  not  hear  him  one 
time  ;  but  her  husband  felt  under  no  special  obligation, 
so  he  dropped  her  at  the  court-house  and  went  on  to 
cam})- meeting.  She  heard  every  word  of  the  sermon, 
and  was  not  satisfied — she  wanted  to  hear  more.  The 
third  sermon  she  heard  she  made  the  confession,  to  the 
surprise  of  everybody. 

It  cost  her  a  severe  struggle,  knowing  that  her  hus- 
band would  be  very  angry  with  her ;  but  she  braved  all 
for  Christ's  sake.  Her  husband  was  very  bitter,  but 
could  not  refuse  to  come  to  see  her  baptized,  for  he  loved 
her  tenderly,  and  was  a  good  husband.  She  was  im- 
mersed on  Saturday.  The  camp-meeting  had  closed,  and 
the  Doctor  made  a  special  request  that  all  should  be 


66  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

present  the  following  day  who  had  been  baptized 
during  the  meeting. 

Of  course  the  gentleman  had  to  bring  his  newly- 
converted  wife  again.  The  Doctor  preached  one  of  his 
characteristic  sermons  on  the  "  Setting  up  of  the  King- 
dom," closing  with  a  warm  appeal.  Our  friend  was  on 
the  back  seat  just  inside  the  house,  but  the  song  was  not 
finished  before  the  Doctor  saw  him  coming  struggling 
through  the  crowd,  over  benches,  the  best  way  he  could. 
The  Doctor  met  him,  and  took  his  hand ;  eight  or  ten 
followed,  and  we  came  near  having  a  camp-meeting 
scene  in  the  court-house.  I  never  witnessed  a  happier 
meeting.  Everybody  shook  hands  with  everybody  else, 
while  tears  ran  down  the  cheeks  of  many  who  still 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  gospel  story. 

Dr.  Hopson  will  never  forget  those  noble  young  men 
who  contributed  so  much  to  the  success  of  the  meeting ; 
and  away  up  high  on  the  heart's  tablet  stand  the  names 
of  Knox  and  Saulsbury. 

His  first  meeting  in  June,  1854,  was  at  Frankford, 
where  he  had  30  additions  ;  next,  Paynesville,  43  ;  Lou- 
isiana, 7  ;  Louisville,  31 ;  Middletown,  25  ;  New  Lon- 
don, 16  ;  Shelbyville,  35  ;  Bloomington,  20 ;  Danville, 
35.  Total,  243. 

After  three  months'  hard  work,  he  returned,  to  enter 
at  once  upon  his  school  duties. 

But  one  interruption  occurred  in  all  our  school  life 
in  Palmyra  that  gave  us  any  trouble.  In  1857  the 
small-pox  broke  out  in  town,  and  we  had  to  close  the 
school  in  May  instead  of  June.  The  Doctor  deputized 
me  to  take  the  young  lady  boarders  home,  who  were 
from  St.  Louis,  Rails  and  Pike  counties,  and  he  would 
go  with  those  who  lived  in  Clark,  Lewis,  and  Warsaw, 


I, IKK    ()K    1>K.   \V.    II.     IIOI'SON.  67 

Illinois.  He  left  Saturday,  to  take  the  packet  at  Marion 
City,  and  I  left  on  the  cars  for  Hannibal  with  the  young 
ladies  committed  to  my  care. 

Dr.  Hopson  told  me  to  tell  Dr.  Morton  he  would 
come  down  on  the  Sunday  evening  packet  from  Keokuk, 
and  would  preach  for  him  Sunday  night. 

After  I  had  disposed  of  my  various  charges,  I  went 
to  the  home  of  Bro.  John  Smith,  father-in-law  of  Bro. 
David  Morton,  to  remain  during  my  visit.  And  now 
come.s  one  of  the  strangest  experiences  of  my  life,  one 
for  which  I  do  not  pretend  to  account. 

I  retired  at  the  usual  hour,  after  having  spent  one  of 
the  most  delightfule  venings  of  my  life,  with  the  families 
of  Brethren  Smith  and  Morton.  I  never  felt  happier 
or  more  cheerful  than  when  I  went  to  my  breakfast. 
Dr.  Morton  proposed  that  I  should  accompany  himself 
and  children  to  the  Sunday-school.  I  was  delighted,  as 
I  knew  eveify  member  of  the  church  and  most  of  the 
Sunday-school  scholars. 

I  had  scarcely  exchanged  greetings  with  the  friends 
when  a  feeling  of  unaccountable  uneasiness  came  over 
me,  and  I  burst  into  tears.  I  wept  for  an  hour.  I  knew 
no  cause  for  it,  and  felt  ashamed  of  my  want  of  control. 
I  left  the  house,  and  went  to  a  friend's  near  by  and 
washed  my  face,  and  returned  to  church.  In  a  few  min- 
utes I  commenced  to  weep  again  and  never  stopped  until 
church  was  nearly  over.  We  returned  to  Bro.  Smith's, 
and  by  the  time  dinner  was  announced  I  could  smile 
at  my  apparently  foolish  conduct.  After  I  was  seated  at 
the  table  I  began  to  tell  those  who  were  not  at  church 
of  my  singular  behavior,  but  before  I  was  through  I 
burst  into  another  paroxysm  of  tears.  I  left  the  table 
deeply  mortified,  and  seated  myself  in  the  family  room. 


68  LIFE    OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Sister  Lizzie  Smith  followed  me  and  begged  me  to  tell 
her  what  the  matter  was.  I  could  not  tell  her,  for  I  was 
as  ignorant  as  she  was. 

I  hear!  the  whistle  of  the  packet  and  knew  the  Doc- 
tor would  be  with  me  in  a  few  minutes,  and  felt  heartily 
ashamed  to  meet  him  with  such  signs  of  distress  on  my 
face.  While  I  was  endeavoring  to  dry  my  eyes,  Miss 
Lizzie  glanced  out  the  window  and  exclaimed :  "  Who 
in  the  world  is  that  coming  in  at  our  gate  ?  What  a 
singular  looking  man !"  I  looked  up,  and,  notwith- 
standing his  odd  masquerade,  recognized  Dr.  Hopson. 
He  had  on  blue  jeans  pants  too  short  for  him,  brown 
woolen  socks,  embroidered  slippers,  a  coat  too  small  for 
him,  and  a  slouch  felt  hat:  He  walked  as  if  weary  or 
sick.  I  met  him  at  the  door  and  shed  the  remnant  of 
my  tears  with  my  arms  around  him. 

When  I  became  quiet  enough  for  him  to  account  for 
his  strange  costume,  we  learned  that  at  the  moment  I  was 
so  strangely  affected  in  the  morning,  he  was  struggling 
for  his  life  in  the  rapids  at  Keokuk. 

The  packet  reached  Keokuk  too  late  the  evening  be- 
fore for  him  to  take  the  pupil  to.  Hamilton,  and  had  to 
wait  till  morning.  He  Avas  unable  at  the  early  hour  he 
wanted  to  cross  to  get  a  large  skiff,  and  had  to  cross  in  a 
canoe.  It  was  a  risky  undertaking,  with  three  persons  in 
it;  but  the  owner  was  a  river  man  and  said  if  the  parties 
would  sit  still  he  could  take  them  safely  over,  which  he 
did.  Just  as  they  were  leaving  on  the  return  trip,  a 
man  ran  down  to  the  river  and  begged  them  to  take  him 
across.  He  said  he  had  left  a  package  of  money  on  the 
packet  and  he  must  get  back  ;  this  was  his  only  chance. 
The  owner  of  the  canoe  hesitated.  He  said  it  was  too 


LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON.  69 

much  load  for  his  boat,  but  the  Doctor  said  he  thought 
they  could  make  it  if  both  would  be  quiet. 

Just  as  they  were  nearing  the  Iowa  shore  a  small 
steamer  came  out  from  below  the  packet  and  headed  up 
the  river.  This  threw  them  below  where  they  were  to 
land,  and  the  swift  current  swept  the  canoe  with  its  liv- 
ing freight  under  the  bow  of  the  boat.  The  great  wheel 
was  already  slowly  revolving,  and  the  captain  was  only 
waiting  the  Doctor's  return  to  leave  the  wharf.  As  the 
boat  went  under  a  deck  hand  threw  a  large  rope,  which 
fell  in  a  coil  round  the  Doctor,  who  went  under  first. 
The  man  in  the  other  end  of  the  boat  sprang  up  and 
caught  one  of  the  fenders  which  projected  below  the 
guards,  and  so  soon  as  that  end  was  lightened,  the  boat 
turned  over,  throwing  the  Doctor  into  the  swift,  rushing 
current.  The  rope  was  swept  beyond  his  reach,  and  he 
was  left  to  struggle  out  as  best  he  could. 

He  said  it  was  about  eight  feet  out  to  a  fender  and 
ten  to  the  wheel.  His  only  safety  was  in  reaching  the 
first  before  going  under  the  last.  He  said  he  thought  of 
his  wife,  child  and  mother,  and  a  great  cry  went  up  from 
his  heart  to  God  for  strength.  Placing  his  feet  against 
the  bow  of  the  boat,  he  sprang  forward  towards  his  only 
means  of  rescue.  Fortunately  he  reached  it,  and  was 
soon  drawn  on  board,  thoroughly  exhausted.  He  was 
unable  to  stand  for  some  time. 

I  shall  always  believe  that  the  same  passionate  cry 
for  help  that  ascended  to  heaven  that  morning  must  have 
reached  my  heart  and  wrung  from  its  depths  those  bitter, 
blinding  tears,  and  from  that  hour  I  realized  how  closely 
our  lives  were  knit  together.  What  message  did  his 
soul  send  to  mine  to  say,  "  He  whom  you  love  is  in 
deadly  peril  "?  Explain  it  who  can. 


70  LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

The  officers  of  the  boat  furnished  him  with  the  best 
the  largest  of  them  had,  and  his  own  clothes  followed 
him  in  a  few  minutes,  and  were  ready  for  him  by  the 
time  the  bell  rang  for  night*  meeting.  He  was  a  little 
weak,  but  otherwise  uninjured. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Opposition  Schools — Baptist  and  Presbyterian. — Two  Years' 
Prospectus. — Financial  Crisis. — Made  Assignment. — School 
Closed. — Gave  up  Everything. — Extract  of  Letter  from  an 
Old  Pupil. 

By  this  time  the  Baptists  began  to  think  that  "  Camp- 
bellism  "  was  assuming  too  large  proportions,  and  they 
determined  to  clog  the  wheels  a  little  by  building  up  a 
rival  institution.  They  succeeded,  in  a  measure,  in  in- 
juring u  Palmyra  Seminary,"  by  taking  from  it  a  portion 
of  the  day  pupils.  By  the  time  they  were  in  full  blast, 
the  Presbyterians  concluded  there  was  too  much  water 
abroad  in  the  city,  and  organized  a  small  school.  Both 
schools,  of  course,  had  an  influence  in  preventing  the 
growtli  of  ours,  by  taking  from  it  the  pupils  under  the 
influence  of  each  church. 

In  the  fall  of  1854,  Dr.  Hopson  brought  his  mother 
and  father  from  St.  Louis,  and  installed  them  in  the 
housekeeping  department,  enabling  me  to  assist  in  the 
primary  department.  Our  house  was  now  filled  to  its 
utmost  capacity  with  boarders,  with  about  forty  pupils 
in  the  day  department.  About  this  time  Dr.  Hopson 
constituted  the  church  at  Mt.  Zion,  between  Hannibal  and 
Palmyra.  The  Herndrens,  Taylors,  Whaleys,  and 
others,  soon  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  now  flourishing 
church. 

February,  1854,  he  held  a  meeting  in  Palmyra,  re- 
sulting in  thirty  additions,  among  them  several  of  our 

71 


72  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

pupils.  The  session  of  1854-'55  was  prosperous  and 
pleasant.  June,  1855,  there  were  five  graduates.  ^ 

During  the  following  vacation  he  held  a  number  of 
meetings,  but  the  number  of  accessions  I  am  unable  to 
ascertain,  with  one  exception — Bro.  J.  J.  Errett  and 
he  held  a  meeting  in  Louisiana,  Pike  county.  Ninety 
added. 

Dr.  Hopson  paid  his  professors,  his  housekeepers, 
divided  with  his  partner,  paid  all  the  interest  due  on  his 
notes,  and  saw  himself  in  a  fair  way  to  reduce  the  prin- 
cipal of  his  debts. 

The  years  of  1856  and  '57  were  years  notable  for 
stringency  in  money  matters,  in  part  owing  to  the 
drouths  that  had  been  prevalent  both  years.  Our 
patrons — especially  our  boarding  patrons — were  unable 
to  pay  all  their  indebtedness,  and  wanted  to  remove 
their  daughters  until  better  times. 

The  Doctor  told  them  not  to  do  it — to  let  them  re- 
main— as  several  would  graduate  at  the  end  of  the  ses- 
sion af  1857  and  '58,  some  of  whom  had  been  with  us 
six  years,  and  others  four.  He  would  wait  on  them  till 
better  times  came. 

January,  1857,  one  of  the  Doctor's,  largest  creditors 
failed,  and  was  compelled  to  give  up  everything  to  his 
creditors.  Among  his  assets  was  Dr.  Hopson's  note  for 
$1,300.  The  Doctor  was  notified  at  once  that  suit  would 
be  brought  in  February  Court :  they  were  compelled  to 
do  so,  else  they  could  not  recover  the  note  at  all.  It  fell 
upon  the  Doctor  like  a  thunderbolt,  from  a  clear  sky. 

The  next  day  he  made  an  assignment,  so  that  his 
creditors  might  all  share  alike,  his  partner  and  teachers 
only  preferred. 

Some  friends  offered  the  Doctor  pecuniary  aid,  but  he 


LIFE   OF    DR.  \V.    II.    HOPSON.  73 

declined,  saying  that  the  stringency  might  continue  sev- 
eral years,  and  he  would  let  the  property  go,  and  pay  his 
debts  as  far  as  it  would.  Uncle  Lewis  Bryan  was  a 
warm  friend. 

He  gave  up  everything  but  his  library,  a  few  pieces 
of  silverware — presents  from  friends — and  his  clothing. 

The  Seminary  and  its  belongings  were  at  once  adver- 
tised to  be  sold  at  the  close  of  the  session  of  1858.  In 
July  the  sale  took  place.  Property  that  cost  him 
$11, 000  sold  for  $4,100.  He  bid  in  enough  furniture 
to  set  us  up  to  housekeeping  in  a  modest  way. 

Father  and  Mother  Fife  moved  to  Paris  to  take 
charge  of  the  boarding  department  of  the  female  semi- 
nary there,  taking  our  daughter  with  them,  so  as  to  keep 
her  in  school  until  we  could  determine  what  was  best  to 
be  done. 

Bro.  Wilkes  moved  to  Columbia,  to  engage  in  teach- 
ing in  Christian  College,  and  our  beloved  girls  went  to 
their  homes. 

•  It  was  a  sad  parting  for  all.  The  names  of  our  dear 
girls  are  deeply  graven  on  our  hearts,  and  we  are  proud 
of  the  record  many  of  them  have  made.  I  copy  a  few 
lines  from  a  letter  I  received  from  one  of  them  only  a 
few  days  ago,  she  little  dreaming  I  would  put  it  into 
print,  but  gave  it  as  the  outburst  of  her  heart : 

"  I  tiiink  so  often  and  so  much  about  you  and  the  Doctor! 
How  could  it  be  otherwise,  when  so  often  some  little  incident  in 
my  life  will  bring  to  mind  some  of  the  grand  lessons  and  noble 
truths  that  the  Doctor  taught  our  class  in  the  happy  school  days! 
Ah  !  no  one  could  teach  them  so  impressively  as  he  could.  It  al- 
ways seemed  to  me  that  no  one  else  had  the  same  power  to 
arouse  all  the  noblest  and  best  influences  of  the  human  heart 
that  the  Doctor  had.  But  it  is  useless  to  try  to  tell  you,  niy  dear 
friend,  how  my  heart  goes  out  in  love  and  sympathy  for  you 
both.  ANNIE  M.  COONS." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Dr.  Hopson  as  a  Student.— As  a  Benevolent  Man. — A  Friend  to 
Young  Men. — Disliked  Pastoral  Visiting. — As  a  Husband. — 
His  Punctuality. — A  Proposition. — Its  Results. — Practical 
Jokes. — As  a  Son. — His  Patience  as  a  Preacher. — Experiences 
in  School-houses  and  in  the  Open  Air. — The  Boy  and  Cap. — 
What  did  Annoy  Him. 

A  portion  of  this  chapter  is  written  for  Bro.  Graham, 
and  for  anybody  else  who  is  as  curious  as  he.  Bro. 
Graham  says,  in  his  letter  to  me: 

"  We  all  know  how  Bro.  Hopson  preaches,  and  his  success 
as  an  evangelist,  etc.  We  want  to  see  his  inner  and  domestic 
life — the  virtues  he  displayed  among  his  most  intimate  friends — 
more  than  the  conquests  made  upon  the  world's  great  battle- 
field." 

I  do  not  think  Bro.  Graham  would  ask  me  to 
do  anything  improper,  and  I  will  tell  a  few  tales  out  of 
school. 

First,  Dr.  Hopson  was  a  hard  student  up  to  the  hour 
he  was  stricken  with  disease.  He  never  preached  a  ser- 
mon until  he  had  thoroughly  digested  it  and  made  every 
part  of  it  clear  to  himself,  as  he  desired  it  to  he  to  his 
audience.  If  I  was  with  him,  he  would  make  me  take 
the  Bible,  while  he  had  the  Concordance,  and  go  over 
every  passage  containing  any  allusion  to  the  matter 
under  investigation.  He  always  said  a  man  did  his 
hearers,  as  well  as  himself,  an  injustice,  who  went  into 
the  pulpit  unprepared.  I  have  often  heard  persons  ask 

74 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOP3ON.  75 

him  to  preach  on  certain  subjects.  He  always  de- 
clined, unless  he  was  familiar  with  tlie  one  in  question. 

During  all  his  school  years  in  Palmyra  Seminary,  he 
rarely  retired  before  twelve  o'clock,  and  not  infrequently 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  His  Greek  Testament  was 
his  constant  study.  He  very  rarely  indulged  in  reading 
light  literature.  Shakespeare,  Walter  Scott  and  Irving 
were  his  favorite  authors.  Milton,  Cowper  and  Young 
were  his  choice  among  the  poets.  His  mind  was  exceed- 
ingly practical.  I  never  knew  him  to  indulge  in  specu- 
lative theories.  He  confined  himself  to  bare  facts. 

I  would  often  say  to  him,  "Here  is  a  beautiful  and 
appropriate  quotation,"  either  in  poetry  or  prose  ;  "  it 
would  add  to  your  sermon ;  put  it  in."  It  was  rarely 
that  I  could  prevail  upon  him  to  do  it. 

He  was  a  man  of  unbounded  sympathy.  The  stran- 
ger within  his  gates  was  made  to  feel  as  much  at  home 
as  his  dearest  friend. 

He  was  liberal  in  church  matters,  aiming  to  dedicate 
one-tenth  of  his  income  to  religious  and  benevolent  in- 
terests ;  but  he  often  gave  more.  The  poor  were  never 
turned  from  his  door  unaided,  and  many  totally  un- 
worthy were  helped,  in  order  to  induce  them  to  lead 
better  lives. 

The  sick  were  never  neglected  by  him.  He  visited 
the  house  of  mourning  with  a  sympathetic  heart,  and  did 
not  grudge  time  or  trouble  when  needed. 

He  was  a  devoted  friend  of  the  young  men  of  his 
church.  If  he  missed  one  from  the  Lord's  day  meeting, 
he  would  say  to  me,  "  Ella,  such  a  young  man  was  not 
at  church  to-day.  If  you  are  down  town  any  time  this 
week,  drop  into  the  store  and  tell  him  I  want  him  to 
report  to  me.  He  may  be  sick.  If  he  is,  I  must  go  to 


76  LIFE   OP   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

see  him."  Where  they  were  doing  business  for  them- 
selves, he  would  visit  them  himself.  Thus  they  felt  that 
he  loved  them  and  watched  for  their  souls. 

Almost  all  pastors  dislike  what  is  usually  termed 
pastoral  visiting.  He  was  more  averse  to  it  than  any 
one  I  ever  knew.  He  would  often  make  half  a  dozen 
calls  in  a  day.  Sometimes  four  or  five  of  the  sisters 
would  be  from  home,  or  if  at  home,  would  detain  him 
from  fifteen  minutes  to  half  an  hour  while  arranging 
their  toilet,  and  come  into  the  parlor  flushed  and  warm, 
and  perhaps  illy  prepared  to  enjoy  religious  conversation. 
He  never  grudged  the  time  he  was  visiting,  but  the  time 
he  was  wasting  in  waiting. 

As  a  husband  he  was  remarkable.  He  never  inter- 
fered in  domestic  affairs.  I  do  not  think  he  went  to 
market  a  dozen  times  in  all  our  housekeeping.  When  he 
did,  he  bought  enough  to  last  the  family  a  week  All  he 
asked  was  that  the  meals  should  be  ready  promptly.  He 
was  punctual,  and  required  it  of  all  his  household.  The 
servants  were  devoted  to  him,  and  as  soon  as  they 
learned  his  will,  gave  no  trouble  on  that  score. 

He  wished  me  to  be  thoroughly  posted  in  all  his 
business  matters — what  his  exact  income  was,  and  all  his 
expenditures.  He  often  said  he  believed  if  women  only 
knew  the  financial  condition  of  their  husbands,  they 
would  be  less  extravagant.  With  salaried  men  this  pre- 
caution is  very  necessary,  especially  so  with  preachers, 
who  are  not  able  at  all  times  to  command  their  salaries. 

He  never  allowed  me  to  be  out  of  money.  I  do  not 
think  my  purse  was  empty  half  a  dozen  times  during  his 
active  ministerial  life.  One  year  he  made  me  the  prop- 
osition to  give  me  a  stated  sum  each  month  to  dress  my- 
self on.  He  was  very  much  surprised  when  I  told  him 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOI'SON.  77 

I  would  take  twelve  dollars  and  a  half  a  month  for  that 
purpose;  and  the  1st  of  January  paid  the  first  install- 
ment, Februry  1  the  second,  and  the  third  in  March. 
The  1st  of  April  he  had  occasion  to  go  to  the  country 
after  bank  hours,  and  he  came  to  me  to  get  some  money 
to  pay  toll  with.  I  asked  him  how  much  he  wanted.  He 
said  two  dollars  would  do,  if  I  had  that  much.  I  got 
my  purse,  and  when  he  saw  it  he  asked  me  how  much  I 
had.  I  emptied  it,  and  when  he  counted  out  thirty-six 
dollars,  he  said,  "  Well,  Ella,  I  do  n't  see  any  use  of  our 
having  separate  purses."  I  did  not,  either;  and  so  we 
divided  the  money  between  us,  and  I  heard  no  more  of 
a  division  of  property. 

He  always  gave  me  the  wedding  fees  up  to  ten  dol- 
lars, until  our  daughter  came  home  from  school,  and 
then  we  shared  alike. 

The  Doctor  rarely  indulged  in  practical  jokes,  but 
sometimes  the  temptation  was  irresistible.  Some  three 
weeks  after  we  were  married,  we  were  going  out  to 
Father  Hayden's,  and  I  saw  a  persimmon  tree  loaded 
with  beautiful  golden  fruit.  I  had  often  heard  of  them, 

but  never  saw  one  before.     I  was  anxious  to  know  what 

• 

it  was,  and  he  was  equally  anxious  for  me  to  know.  He 
selected  a  large,  fine  one,  and  insisted  on  my  taking 
a  good  bite.  I  bit,  and  such  a  bite  I  never  had  before, 
nor  have  I  ever  had  since.  It  drew  and  puckered  my 
mouth  until  I  could  not  utter  a  word.  It  squeezed  the 
tears  from  my  eyes.  I  really  thought  I  must  be 
poisoned — that  perhaps  the  Doctor  was  tired  of  me 
already,  and  wanted  to  dispose  of  me  in  that  abominable 
way.  And  I  have  never  seen  a  persimmon  since,  that  I 
do  not  feel  a  choking  sensation  and  a  desire  to  punish 
somebody. 


78  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

The  Doctor  was  very  sorry,  of  course,  at  the  result, 
and  begged  my  pardon,  which  I  have  never  been  fully 
persuaded  that  I  have  accorded  yet. 

To  his  mother  he  was  a  most  devoted  son,  and  his 
stepfather  loved  him  as  if  he  had  baen  his  own  child. 
They  spent  the  last  years  of  their  life  in  our  home,  and 
Dr.  Hopson  paid  them  a  stated  salary  every  month  to 
attend  to  our  marketing  and  housekeeping.  He  said 
old  people  were  prone  to  feel  dependent,  and  the  arrange- 
ment he  made  would  make  them  feel  comfortable  and 
supply  all  their  needs,  and  make  them  happier.  He  was 
always  so  thoughtful  for  others. 

For  many  years  much  of  his  preaching  was  done  in 
log  school-houses,  or  log  churches,  or  out  of  doors  amid 
the  "  forest  aisles,"  and  I  have  often  wondered  at  his 
patience  and  equanimity  under  the  trying  and  embar- 
rassing circumstances  surrounding  him.  The  neighing 
of  horses,  the  barking  of  dogs,  the  crying  of  children, 
never  seemed  to  irritate  him. 

He  used  to  tell  the  mothers  to  come  to  church  and 
bring  their  children,  when  they  had  no  one  to  leave 
them  with — that  he  could  outpreach  tl\e  crying  of  half  a 
dozen  babies;  and  I  have  often  seen  more  than  that 
lying  on  pillows  around  the  pulpit,  while  the  grateful 
mothers  would  sit  with  open  ears  listening  to  the  "  old, 
old  story."  Sometimes  one  or  two  babies  would  raise  a 
tune,  but  they  were  soon  hushed,  and  the  Doctor  would 
pay  no  attention  except  to  elevate  his  voice  a  little  until 
babydom  was  quiet. 

I  used  sometimes  to  practice  a  little  friendly  ruse  to 
help  him  out.  I  would  carry  my  pocket  full  of  cakes  or 
some  candy,  and  distribute  it  to  the  restless  ones,  and 
never  failed  to  quiet  the  little  fellows.  Dear  little  babies 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    II.    IK  >I'S<  >.\.  79 

and  dear  mothers,  they  have  forgotten  me  long  since, 
but  they  pass  before  me  like  pleasant  pictures  in  the 
dreams  of  Ions;  ago.  Very  many  of  the  mothers  con- 
fessed Christ  because  they  had  the  privilege  of  hearing 
of  him  unrebuked.  To  young  preachers  I  would  like 
to  say  just  here,  a  mother's  heart  and  a  mother's  love  for 
her  babes  are  very  tender  things,  and  while  sometimes 
they  may  be  thoughtless  and  inconsiderate  in  not  placing 
themselves  where  they  can  withdraw  from  the  house 
without  causing  annoyance,  be  patient,  very  patient,  for 
their  mortification  is  often  much  greater  than  your  em- 
barrassment can  be. 

How  often  have  I  blessed  my  noble  husband  for  his 
gentle  forbearance  towards  those  dear  mothers,  who 
were  so  eager  to  hear  him  preach  that  they  would  ride 
miles  on  horseback,  with  their  little  ones  in  their  laps. 
They  were  hungering  and  thirsting  for  the  bread  of  life 
and  the  living  water. 

On  one  occasion  Dr.  Hopson  was  holding  a  meeting 
at  Santa  Fe.  John  Hall,  a  great  friend  of  his,  whose 
membership  was  at  Lick  Creek,  was  present,  and  was  the 
happy  father  of  a  real  live  boy  between  three  and  four 
years  of  age.  The  Doctor  was  preaching  in  a  store- 
room, fitted  up  with  rough  seats  and  improvised  chande- 
liers and  sconces.  After  the  boy  had  listened  patiently 
to  the  Doctor  nearly  an  hour,  he  began  to  get  restless, 
and  spying  the  chandelier,  he  concluded  to  get  up  a  little 
show  on  his  own  account.  He  had  a  nice,  new  cap,  and 
he  commenced  tossing  it  up  to  see  if  he  could  throw  it 
over  the  arm  of  the  chandelier.  The  Doctor  went  on 
with  the  sermon.  The  boy's  mother  tried  to  stop  the 
fun,  but  as  soon  as  she  turned  to  look  at  the  preacher,  up 
went  the  cap.  Fortunately  the  Doctor  had  the  ears  of 


80  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

the  congregation  and  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  boy. 
At  last  the  cap  hung  fast  in  mid  air,  and  the  boy  sub- 
sided. At  that  moment  the  Doctor  made  a  gesture  that 
knocked  his  hymn-book  off  the  pulpit.  Master  Hall 
spied  it,  'and  jumped  down  and  picked  up  the  book, 
climbed  on  to  a  chair  and  upon  the  stand  under  the  pul- 
pit, and  said  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Mr.  Preacher,  Mr. 
Preacher,  here 's  your  book."  The  Doctor  looked  at 
the  little  fellow  with  a  smile,  took  the  book  and  said 
"  Thank  you,"  and  went  on  with  his  sermon  as  if  noth- 
ing had  ever  happened  to  disturb  him. 

Some  would  say,  "  Why  did  not  his  mother  take  the 
child  out,  or  do  something  to  him?"  To  take  a  child 
out  of  a  house  packed  with  people,  even  standing  room 
full,  around  windows  and  doors,  was  no  easy  matter,  and 
would  make  more  disturbance  than  his  little  frolic  ;  and 
if  she  had  done  something  else,  there  is  no  telling  where 
the  trouble  might  have  ended.  As  it  was,  the  little  fel- 
low was  asleep  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  Doctor  finished 
his  hour  and  a  half  sermon  without  further  interruption. 

There  was  one  thing  that  would  always  annoy  the 
Doctor  excessively  :  that  was,  for  young  people  to  laugh 
and  talk  or  write  notes  to  each  other  during  service, 
either  singing,  praying  or  preaching,  but  this  was,  after 
all,  more  on  account  of  the  veneration  he  felt  was  due  to 
worship  than  an  offense  against  his  personal  vanity  ;  yet 
during  all  his  ministry  I  never  heard  him  give  more 
than  eight  or  ten  severe  rebukes,  but  he  would  content 
himself  by  looking  at  the  offenders  a  moment  or  two, 
preaching  on,  which  usually  quieted  them. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

His  Courage  and  Fortitude  under  Misfortune. — Economy. — 
Division  of  Labor. — How  the  Dutchman  happened  to  Saw 
Wood  and  Work  the  Garden. — Meetings  at  Mexico,  New 
Mexico,  St.  Joseph. — Fifty  Dollars  for  one  Convert,  One 
Dollar  a  Head  for  the  Remainder. — Meeting  in  Batavia 
111. — In  Chicago. 

As  soon  after  our  sale  as  was  possible,  we  moved  into 
a  small  house,  and  gathered  our  little  all  about  us  and 
set  ourselves  to  arrange  for  future;  work. 

Bro.  Graham  would  like  to  know  how  the  Doctor 
felt  when  he  saw  himself  homeless  and  houseless  and 
penniless,  yea,  a  thousand  times  worse  than  penniless. 
I  will  tell  you.  He  was  brave  and  grand  in  his  ruin. 
Death  had  twice  broken  up  his  home,  and  he  was  satis- 
fied so  long  as  mother,  wife  and  child  were  spared.  His 
daily  prayer  was  that  life,  health  and  strength  should  be 
given  him  until  he  had  paid  the  uttermost  farthing. 

I  tried  to  be  brave,  while  my  heart  was  nearly  break- 
ing over  our  failure.  It  was  not  the  pecuniary  loss  so 
much  as  the  disruption  of  our  family  ties,  and  the  part- 
ing from  our  girls  and  teachers.  We  both  knew  full 
well  that  years  of  labor,  toil  and  self-denial  were  before 
us,  before  the  debt  could  be  cancelled,  for  it  would  take 
the  whole  of  the  year's  salary  he  was  then  receiving  to 
pay  the  interest  on  the  debt  he  still  owed. 

Retrenchment  and  economy  were  the  watchwords  for 
years.  We  had  a  good  cow,  from  whose  milk  and  butter 

81 


82  LIFE   OF    DR.    W.    H.    HOPSON. 

I  realized  enough  to  buy  our  groceries.  Our  chickens 
furnished  us  meat  and  eggs.  We  had  no  servant.  I 
cooked  and  milked.  The  Doctor  cut  the  wood  and 
worked  the  garden — and  it  was  well  done. 

The  long  May  days  grew  longer  and  warmer,  and  the 
sun  sent  out  brighter  beams  to  warm  up  earth  and  air. 
One  Monday  morning  early,  when  I  opened  the  back 
door  and  saw  a  man  sawing  wood  in  the  yard,  I  walked 
out  to  interview  him,  and  learn  who  had  been  so  kind  as 
to  send  him  to  help  the  Doctor  out.  I  said,  "Good 
morning,  sir."  He  said,  with  a  stolid  look,  "  Nichts 
Verstehe."  "  Who  sent  you  here  ?"  I  asked.  "Nichts 
Verstehe."  I  tried  again*  "This  is  a  pleasant  day." 
"  Nichts  Verstehe."  I  walked  into  the  house,  no  wiser 
than  I  went  out. 

When  I  called  the  Doctor  to  breakfast  I  related  my 
adventure.  He  was  amused,  and  seemed  grateful  that 
he  was  relieved  from  the  now  really  onerous  burden.  At 
twelve  o'clock  the  man  ate  his  dinner,  and  took  down 
the  Doctor's  hoe  and  walked  into  the  garden.  When  he 
left  it  :vt  six  o'clock,  not  a  weed  was  visible.  Every 
Monday,  for  a  month,  our  Dutchman  was  there  with  his 
nxe  and  hoe.  He  would  saw  wood  enough  in  half  a  day 
to  last  all  the  week.  One  day  the  Doctor  went  out  to 
the  country,  to  be  gone  a  week.  After  the  Monday's 
work  was  finished,  Chris  presented  me  an  order  from  the 
Doctor  to  pay  him  seventy- five  cents  for  his  day's  work. 
I  found  out  who  hired  the  man.  When  the  Doctor  re- 
turned, I  said  nothing  to  him  of  my  discovery  until  he 
asked  me  if  I  had  learned  who  employed  the  Dutchman. 
He  said  he  felt  it  poor  economy  to  work  in  the  hot  sun 
half  a  day,  and  suffer  three  or  four  with  headache.  I 
agreed  with  him,  and  so  the  matter  was  settled. 


LIFE    OF    1>K.   W.    II.    HOPSON.  83 

The  brethren  and  friends  were  very  good  to  him 
after  our  loss,  and  made  his  salary  up  to  $1,800  that 
year.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  having  our  daughter  and 
my  niece  with  us  that  summer,  which  added  to  our  sum 
of  happiness. 

During  August  the  Doctor  held  meetings  in  Mexico, 
with  thirty-five  additions,  and  New  London,  thirty  ad- 
ditions. He  became  very  tired  of  going  away  from 
home  and  leaving  me,  and  after  our  daughter  and  niece 
returned  to  school,  we  broke  up  housekeeping,  sold  our 
possessions,  and  became  religious  tramps,  only  coming 
home  to  fill  his  appointments  twice  a  month  in  Pal- 
myra. 

In  September,  1858,  he  held  a  meeting  in  St.  Joseph, 
then  the  home  of  Bros.  Lard  and  Wyatt.  Bro.  Lard  was 
from  home,  but  Bro.  Wyatt  assisted  the  Doctor  by 
prayers  and  his  beautiful  singing.  Bro.  Lard  was  not 
preaching  for  the  church,  and  I  think  Bro.  Wyatt  was 
the  regular  pastor. 

Two  interesting  incidents  occurred  during  the  meet- 
ing. After  the  Doctor  had  been  preaching  several  days, 
a  brother  came  to  him  and  said,-  "  Bro.  H.,  if  you  will 
convert  my  son  and  get  him  into  the  church,  I  will  give 
you  fifty  dollars."  The  Doctor  replied,  "  I  will  do  my 
best,  without  your  fifty  dollars.  Tell  me  his  difficulty; 
I  may  be  able  to  overcome  it."  The  father  said,  "  He 
has  no  bad  habits ;  only  get  him  to  listen  to  you,  and  he 
will  be  convinced."  The  young  man  came,  heard,  was 
pleased,  and  continued  to  come  until,  to  his  father's 
great  delight,  he  confessed  Christ  and  became  obedient 
to  the  faith.  When  the  meeting  closed,  the  brother 
came  to  bid  the  Doctor  good-bye,  and  handed  him  the 
fifty  dollars.  The  Doctor  demurred,  but  the  brother  in- 


84  LIFE   OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

insisted.  "  You  have  saved  my  boy  and  myself  hun- 
dreds of  dollars  he  might  have  spent  in  folly ;  and, 
besides,  here  is  one  dollar  a  head  for  every  other  one 
who  joined."  There  were  twenty-seven  additions  in 
all. 

Our  church  was  small,  and  in  an  out-of-the-way 
place.  The  Doctor  held  his  meeting  in  the  court-house. 
It  was  not  very  accessible,  being  on  a  high  hill,  but  still 
the  house  was  crowded  all  the  time. 

Among  his  hearers,  towards  the  last  of  the  meeting, 
was  a  refined,  cultivated  lady,  and  she  was  a  Methodist. 
Nearly  every  time  she  came  she  got  angry  at  something 
the  Doctor  would  say.  At  length  she  could  contain  her- 
self no  longer,  and  came  around  to  Cousin  Robert 
Boyd's,  where  we  were  staying,  to  tell  Dr.  Hopson  what 
she  thought  of  him.  He  laughed  at  her,  telling  her 
that  he  was  preaching  for  her  benefit,  and  that  he  would 
baptize  her  before  the  meeting  closed.  She  was  furious, 
and  when  Cousin  Kitty  Boyd  asked  her  if  they  should 
call  for  her  to  go  to  church  that  night,  she  very  sharply 
told  her  no.  After  she  had  gone,  Cousin  Kitty  said  to 
the  Doctor,  "  Cousin  Winthrop,  you  have  really  offended 
Mrs.  D.,  and  I  am  sorry."  "  Never  mind,  Cousin 
Kitty ;  I  will  baptize  her  yet."  Cousin  Kitty  was  in- 
credulous. 

We  went  to  church,  and  were  hardly  seated  when 
Mrs.  D.  walked  in  rather  defiantly  and  took  a  back  seat, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  You  will  see  I  am  not  afraid  of  be- 
ing caught."  The  Doctor  preached  on  Acts  ii.  38. 
When  the  invitation  was  extended,  Mrs.  D.  came  hur- 
riedly forward  and  gave  the  Doctor  her  hand.  She  could 
not  speak  and  could  hardly  stand.  Several  followed. 
The  Doctor  took  their  confessions  and  asked  them  when 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  85 

they  wished  to  be  baptized.  Some  said  next  morning  be- 
fore church,  but  Mrs.  D.  said  she  would  defer  it  until  her 
husband,  who  was  absent,  returned  home,  but  she  was 
the  first  one  at  the  water  next  morning  and  requested  to 
be  immersed  first.  She  said  she  could  not  wait  another 
day  to  put  on  Christ. 

We  returned  home  from  St.  Joseph,  and  spent  the 
most  of  October  in  Palmyra.  The  23d  he  commenced 
a  meeting  in  Batavia,  111.,  closing  it  November  3d,  with 
fifteen  additions.  This  was  the  last  visit  he  paid  to  my 
relatives  until  after  the  war.  From  there  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  held  a  meeting  for  the  Monroe  Street 
Cliurch.  He  had  twenty  additions.  We  were  the  guests 
of  Mr.  Henry  Honore,  who,  with  his  faithful  Christian 
wife  and  family,  have  always  been  our  warm  friends. 
Bertha  and  Ida  Honore,  now  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  and 
Mrs.  Col.  Fred.  Grant,  were  then  in  short  dresses,  and 
bright,  beautiful  school  girls,  and  I  never  can  think  of 
them  in  any  other  way. 

From  Chicago  we  went  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  he 
held  a  meeting  in  December.  At  that  meeting  there 
were  twenty-four  additions.  He  held  a  meeting  in  the 
country  while  there,  also,  and  had  fourteen  confessions. 
He  had  a  number  of  calls  to  hold  meetings  in  the  State, 
but  his  engagement  was  out  for  Cincinnati.  He  went  to 
Cincinnati  early  in  January  and  began  the  meeting  in 
Walnut  and  Eighth  streets  church,  which  in  many  re- 
spects was  the  meeting  of  his  life.  The  history  of  it 
will  be  found  further  on  in  this  book,  described  by  Bro. 
R.  M.  Bishop,  in  whose  hospitable  home  we  remained 
six  weeks.  What  a  host  he  was ! 

While  in  Kentucky  he  made  arrangements  to  return 
in  1860  and  preach  for  the  Lexington  church.  His  ap- 


86  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

pointments  were  out  for  several  months'  labor  in  Mis- 
souri, and  we  returned,  as  soon  as  the  Cincinnati  meet- 
ing closed,  to  fulfill  his  engagements  and  prepare  for  re- 
moval to  Kentucky. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

L.   B.   Wilkes'   Letter. — Walnut  St.  Meeting  in   Cincinnati,  in 
1859.— R.  M.  Bishop's  Letter. 

I  think  this  is,  perhaps,  the  most  fitting  time  to  intro- 
duce a  letter  I  received  from  Bro.  L.  B.  Wilkes  three 
months  ago.  It  was  written  from  Stockton,  Cal.  : 

MRS.  W.  H.  HOPSON  : 

My  Dear  Sister — As  I  understand  there  will  be  a  biography  of 
your  distinguished  husband,  prepared  by  your  own  hand — which 
is  most  appropriate — I  request  the  privilege  of  saying  a  few- 
things.  This  I  do,  because  he  was  my  friend  and  brother,  with 
whom  from  almost  boyhood ,  I  had  been  on  the  most  intimate  terms. 
I  made  his  acquaintance  in  1847.  I  think  it  was  at  Springfield, 
Mo.  At  that  time  I  lived  with  Father  and  Mother  Hayden, 
whose  memory  is  as  dear  to  me  as  to  him,  whom  we  delight 
to  honor.  It  was  customary  in  those  days  to  have  at  Springfield, 
Mo.,  an  annual  July  meeting.  The  brethren  wanted  to  get 
Bro.  T.  M.  Allen  to  assist  them  that  year.  Father  Hayden  was 
the  leading  man  in  those  days.  He,  either  because  he  could  not 
get  Bro.  Allen  or  because  he  thought  Dr.  Hopson  would  suit  us 
better,  wrote  for  him,  and  he  came.  He  was  then  young,  and 
very  handsome  and  gifted.  I  had  never  heard  much  preaching 
by  our  people  before  this  time.  His  fine  person,  easy  manners, 
gift  in  language,  rapid  flow  of  eloquent  talking,  interested  me 
very  much.  I  had  never  heard  any  preaching  so  fine  before,  and 
I  have  never  heard  any  since  that  made  so  great  an  impression  on 
me  as  his  did  then. 

Everybody  was  pleased.  The  people  came  in  great  crowds  to 
hear  the  young,  elegant  and  gifted  speaker.  1  do  not  remember 
the  result  of  the  meeting  as  to  additions,  but  the  effect  on  the 
public  mind  as  to  our  plea  (we  had  a  plea  then)  was  very  happy. 

I  think  he  came  the  next  year  also.  At  his  first  meeting  he 
preached  a  discourse  on  I.  John  v.  7.  The  next  year  he  preached 

87 


88  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

from  I.  John  v.  8.  As  he  began  his  sermon,  he  said  :  "  One  year 
ago  I  preached  a  sermon  from  verse  7 ;  I  wish  now  to  say  that 
verse  7  is  not  from  God,  but  of  man."  Though  some  of  us 
thought  that  the  Doctor  was  a  little  vain  (he  had  enough  of  tal- 
ents and  flattery  to  make  almost  any  one  vain),  yet,  having  been 
mistaken  the  year  before — though  not  a  soul  knew  it  but  himself 
— he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  publicly  confess  it. 

"Dr.  Hopson  was  always  the  very  soul  of  honor.  His 
friendship  was  as  steady  as  the  light  of  the  planets,  and  it  was  as 
pure  and  unselfish  as  that  of  the  purest  woman.  I  do  not  claim 
that  he  was  without  faults — no  one  is ;  but  his  faults  were  few, 
and  they  were  simple  as  those  of  a  child.  His  virtues  were 
numerous  and  splendid. 

"Though  no  man,  however  learned  or  accomplished,  could 
feel  the  time  lost  or  not  well  employed  spent  in  the  Doctor's  %o- 
ciety,  yet  he  made  the  poorest,  commonest  mortal  who  craved  his 
hospitable  recognition  feel  that  in  his  house  he  had  a  home,  and 
in  him  he  had  a  brother. 

"  I  was  with  him  in  a  meeting  he  held  in  Miller  Co.,  Mo.  I  do 
not  remember  the  date.  The  great  majority  of  the  people  of  the 
neighborhood  were  poor  and  illiterate,  but  they  were  as  kind- 
hearted,  generous  people  as  any.  I  was  reared  from  early 
boyhood  among  them.  Their  houses  were  log  cabins,  and  their 
clothes  were  the  commonest,  plainest  kind.  It  was  interesting  to 
see  how  readily  the  Doctor  made  himself  at  home  with  them  in 
their  humble  houses,  and  how  they  were  made  to  feel  at  home  in 
his  company. 

"  If  the  Doctor  had  a  noticeable  fault,  it  was  that  he  had  a 
touch  of  vanity  in  his  make-up.  Up  to  a  certain  point  this  ele- 
ment is  valuable — indeed,  it  is  essential  to  the  existence  of  a 
grand  and  beautiful  character.  The  Doctor  had  enough  of  it,  at 
least,  to  keep  him  high  above  all  mean,  selfish,  or  ignoble  deeds. 
When  one  has  not  too  much  of  this  element,  it  perhaps  ought  not 
to  be  called  vanity. 

"  In  1853  I  engaged  to  preach  for  the  church  in  Hannibal, 
Mo.  Dr.  H.  was  preaching  at  that  time  in  Palmyra,  Mo.,  twelve 
miles  from  Hannibal.  He  was  also  Principal  of  '  Palmyra  Fe- 
male Seminary.' 

"  He  had  a  large  and  prosperous  school,  and  needed  help.  In 
the  fall  of  1854  he  and  I  became  equal  partners  in  the  Institution. 
We  lived  in  the  same  house,  ate  at  the  same  table,  and  I  came  to 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOI'Sn.V  89 

know  him  as  well  as  it  is  possible  for  one  man  to  know  another. 
A  small  disagreement  or  two  occurred  during  the  three  years  we 
were  associated  in  this  work.  But  these,  though  not  enjoyed  at 
the  moment,  served  only  to  more  fully  manifest  one  of  the  noblest 
characters  it  has  ever  been  my  happiness  or  honor  to  know.  My 
opinion  is,  that  if  ever  any  one  used  his  tongue  to  sliadow 
the  reputation  of  Dr.  H.,  it  was  done  in  ignorance  of  his  real 
moral  worth,  or  he  was  a  malicious  slanderer.  I  believe  I  never 
heard  of  more  than  two  or  three  such,  and  those  had  dropped 
upon  them  the  infamy  and  obscurity  they  so  richly  merited,  not 
long  afterwards. 

"  Dr.  Hopson  failed  financially  when  he  and  I  were  partners- 
He  owed  me  and  many  others  more  than  he  could  then  pay. 
This  was  in  1857.  Now  the  great  trial  of  his  life  and  test  of  his 
integrity  was  upon  him.  He  went  through  the  whole  matter,  and 
paid  all  his  debts,  and  came  out,  not  only  as  unsullied  as  the 
snow,  but  his  creditors  THOUGHT  so.  And  it  was  so. 

"  Put  Dr.  Hopson  in  health  and  in  his  prime  again,  and  let 
him  go  to  Palmyra,  the  scene  of  his  disaster,  and  not  a  man 
on  earth  would  be  greeted  more  warmly  and  heartily  than  he. 

"  The  Doctor  had  a  discussion,  in  1852, at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  with 
Mr.  Caples,  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.  Many  years  afterwards, 
Bishop  Marvin,  in  writing  the  biography  of  Mr.  Caples,  who  was 
an  excellent  man  and  preacher,  went  out  of  his  way  a  little  to 
depreciate  Dr.  Hopson  as  lie  appeared  before  the  people  in  that 
discussion.  I  was  then,  and  am  now,  willing  that  Mr.  Caples 
should  appear  on  the  pages  of  history  in  his  true  character  for 
intellect,  learning  and  moral  worth.  He  was  not  a  man  of  much 
learning,  but  in  other  respects  mentioned,  he  was  a  very  superior 
man,  quite  in  advance  of  the  Bishop.  But  in  no  one  respect  was 
Dr.  Hopson  inferior  to  either  of  them,  and  in  respect  to  educa- 
tion he  was  vastly  the  superior  of  both. 

"  After  the  debate,  nearly  all  the  people,  as  I  know,  thought 
Dr.  H.  was  ahead.  Should  it  be  said  that  the  people  know  very 
little  about  the  merits  of  such  a  discussion,  my  reply  is,  The 
parties  went  before  the  people  to  obtain  their  verdict — they  had 
no  other  object — and  Dr.  Hopson  got  what  he  went  for. 

"  There  are  many  other  things,  in  the  life  of  which  I  speak, 
worthy  of  a  place  on  the  pages  of  history. 

"  He  began  preaching  when  quite  young — in  his  eighteenth 
year,  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  Though  he  was  an  only  child  of  par- 


90  LIFE    OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

ents  who  were  well-to-do  in  life,  petted  and  spoiled,  no  doubt,  and 
though  he  was  considered  wild  when  a  boy,  yet  at  the  early  age 
of  about  seventeen,  he  laid  aside  the  gayeties  and  youthful  follies 
of  the  world,  and,  in  company  with  Samuel  Rogers,  of  glorious 
memory,  and  under  his  supervision,  went  to  preaching.  His 
teacher  was,  like  himself,  very  gifted  by  nature,  very  brave,  and 
withal,  like  the  Master — had  a  great,  generous,  noble  heart, 
which,  coupled  with  other  qualities,  put  him  in  the  van  of  useful 
and  lovable  men. 

"  The  dear,  precious  man  of  God  has  gone  to  his  reward. 
The  last  words  I  had  with  him  were  in  the  presence  of  his  noble 
eon,  John  L,  in  Covington,  Ky.,  in  1868.  He  was  then  seeing 
Him  who  is  invisible.  Like  ±)noch,  he  was  walking  with  God, 
and  waiting  anxiously  to  be  translated.  He  was,  as  Bro.  G.  O. 
Burnet  once  said,  at  the  State  Meeting  in  Wheatland,  Cal.,  in 
1874,  '  feeling  the  sweet  breezes  from  the  paradise  of  God.'  He 
was  listening  for  the  angels'  wings.  Those  words  of  his  have 
been,  and  shall  forever  be,  a  blessing  and  a  benediction  upon  my 
soul. 

"  God  made  Samuel  Rogers  to  preach,  and  it  was  a  fortunate 
thing  that  Dr.  Hopson  fell  into  his  hands.  One  of  those  exhort- 
ations that  came  like  a  tornado  from  the  warm  heart  and  great 
soul  of  Samuel  Rogers — which,  no  doubt,  caused  the  angels  in 
heaven  to  stop  and  listen,  and  wait  to  see  if  sinners  would  not 
repent— was  just  the  thing  to  stir  the  heart  of  the  young  evangel- 
ist, arid  to  determine  it  for  good  and  great  things  for  God.  On 
Dr.  Hopson  it  no  doubt  had  this  effect.  In  the  often  thrilling 
effect  of  the  Doctor's  efforts  before  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
hearers,  was  plain  to  be  seen  the  result  of  an  early  and  de- 
termined purpose  to  be  true  and  to  dare  much  for  Him  who  died 
for  the  world. 

"  Other  and  more  skillful  hands  will  do  more  ample  justice 
to  the  subject  of  these  few  lines  than  I  have  been  able  to  do,  no 
doubt.  Very  truly  your  brother, 

"  L.  B.  WILKES." 

CINCINNATI,  May  22,  1886. 

MRS.  ELLA  L.  HOPSON — My  Dear  Sister  : — Your  letter  advising 
me  you  were  writing  the  life  of  your  husband,  and  asking  me  to 
give  you  a  history  of  his  first  meeting  in  Cincinnati,  came  to 
hand,  and  I  wish  it  could  be  correctly  done.  It  was  a  remarka- 


LIFE   OF   DR.  \V.    II.    HOPSON.  91 

ble  meeting,  and  was  the  means  of  giving  a  great  impetus  to  our 
cause  in  this  city. 

This  meeting,  if  I  remember  correctly,  occurred  in  January, 
1859.  I  shall  simply  give  you  some  of  the  leading  facts  in  regard 
to  it,  and  from  them  and  your  own  recollection  you  can  give  a 
fuller  and  better  account  of  the  meeting. 

I  had  met  Dr.  Hopson  at  the  organization  of  the  General 
Missionary  Convention  in  1849,  but  did  not  then  become  well 
acquainted  with  him.  Some  years  thereafter  we  decided  to  hold 
a  protracted  meeting  in  the  Eighth  and  Walnut  street  (now  the 
"Central  Christian")  church,  and,  having  heard  much  of  Dr. 
Hopson's  ability  as  a  proclaimer  of  the  ancient  gospel,  and  his 
success  as  a  preacher,  I  was  authorized  by  the  congregation  to 
invite  him  to  make  us  a  visit  and  hold  a  meeting  for  us,  which 
invitation  he  accepted.  He  came  to  Cincinnati  and  commenced 
the  meeting  and  continued  it  six  weeks,  resulting  in  about  one 
hundred  additions,  among  them  many  of  our  best  citizens  and 
business  men. 

His  eloquence  and  peculiar  manner  of  presenting  and  dis- 
cussing his  subjects  soon  became  a  topic  of  general  remark.  We 
soon  realized  the  importance  of  having  a  larger  house.  It  was 
impossible  to  comfortably  accommodate  the  audiences.  Judges, 
lawyers,  doctors,  business  men,  ministers  of  other  churches,  were 
very  often  in  attendance.  I  very  well  remember  a  sermon  he 
preached  on  the  threefold  nature  of  spiritual  influence  that 
caused  quite  a  commotion,  especially  among  some  of  our  sectarian 
editors,  who  took  the  liberty  of  criticising  it  severely.  Some  of 
the  members  of  the  secular  press  defended  him  in  the  positions 
taken  by  him. 

This  sertnon,  having  become  a  subject  of  such  general  re- 
mark, and  having  been  misconstrued  and  misrepresented  by  those 
opposed  to  us  religiously,  I  suggested  to  Dr.  Hopson  the  import- 
ance of  its  repetition,  stating  that  if  he  would  consent  to  do  so, 
we  would  secure  Smith  &  Nixon's  Hall,  that  would  comfortably 
seat  2,500  people,  publish  it  in  our  newspapers,  and  invite  the 
public  to  come  and  hear  it  for  themselves.  This  arrangement 
was  agreed  upon  between  Dr.  Hopson  and  myself.  I  so  reported 
to  the  board  of  officers  of  our  church.  All  favored  the  repetition 
of  the  sermon,  but  seriously  objected  to  the  procurement  of  the 
hall,  simply  because  they  thought  an  audience  of  eight  or  ten 
hundred  in  so  large  a  place  would  not  look  well.  I  assured  them 


92  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

that  by  clearly  stating  the  subject,  and  with  proper  publication, 
the  hall  would  be  full.  It  was  agreed  upon,  the  hall  secured,  and 
the  sermon  delivered  to  at  least  3,000  hearers.  The  seats  were 
all  filled,  the  standing  room  crowded,  and  at  least  1,500  persons 
came  who  could  not  procure  admittance.  W.  D.  Bickham  and 
myself  secured  a  stenographer  to  take  it  down,  but  it  was  never 
published.  I  sincerely  hope  that  in  publishing  a  history  of  your 
husband's  life,  you  will  publish  it  and  others. 

Among  some  of  his  other  sermons  he  preached  during  his 
meeting  here,  his  text  for  one  of  them  was  something  like  this  : 
"  Other  churches  may  be  right — they  may  be  wrong;  but  we  are 
right,  and  can't  be  wrong."  1  very  well  remember  hearing  a 
very  intelligent  Presbyterian  gentleman,  who  heard  the  Doctor 
announce  that  text  for  the  next  evening's  discourse,  say  it  was  a 
very  bold  assertion,  and  that  he  was  surprised  at  the  statement. 
I  urged  him  to  come  and  hear  the  sermon.  He  did  so.  The 
next  day  I  met  him  on  'Change.  He  came  up  to  me  and  candidly 
admitted  that  the  Doctor  made  a  strong  and  seemingly  conclusive 
defense  of  the  position  taken. 

Many  other  incidents  of  interest  occurred  which  you  will 
doubtless  remember,  and  can  elaborate. 

I  have  been  accustomed  to  attending  protracted  meetings,  and 
listening  to  our  ablest  ministers,  from  boyhood,  I  never  heard 
the  gospel  presented  more  forcibly,  and  with  better  effect,  than  it 
was  in  the  forty-two  discourses  delivered  during  this  meeting. 

A  remarkable  fact,  noted  by  many  others  as  well  as  myself, 
was,  his  voice  and  strength  held  up  in  such  a  remarkable  manner. 
He  was  not  under  the  necessity  of  apologizing  a  single  time 
during  the  meeting,  on  account  of  weariness,  hoarseness,  or  any- 
thing else. 

Your  home,  as  you  doubtless  remember,  was  at  our  house 
during  your  stay  in  Cincinnati,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of 
becoming  well  acquainted  with  him.  I  formed  a  strong  attach- 
ment for  him  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  an  able  minister  of  the 
gospel  and  a  true  friend.  My  relations  to  and  with  him  since  have 
the  more  indelibly  impressed  these  facts  upon  me  as  correct. 
Very  Truly  Your  Brother, 

R.  M.  BISHOP. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Removal  to  Lexington,  Ky. — Bro.  McDonald's  Letter. — 1'astoral 
Work  in  Lexington. — Numerous  Meetings. — Country  Meet- 
ings.— Basket  Dinner. — Meeting  at  Berea. — Tornado. 

After  a  year's  successful  preaching  in  Missouri  and 
adding  many  to  the  saved,  January  1st,  1860,  we  moved 
from  Missouri  to  Lexington,  Ky.  He  felt  that  he  must 
go  where  he  could  receive  better  remuneration  for  his 
services  than  he  could  in  Missouri,  or  he  would  never  be 
able  to  clear  himself  of  the  onerous  burden  bearing  so 
heavily  upon  him. 

Bro.  McDonald,  of  Palmyra,  in  writing  of  that  time, 
says  : 

"  I  wish  I  could  give  you  an  account. of  the  Doctor's  school 
enterprise,  as  I  would  like  to  do ;  of  his  struggle  to  build  up  a 
first-class  institution  of  learning,  and  of  his  honorable,  though 
lamented,  failure.  Two  causes  contributed  to  this  sad  result — 
one  was  the  failure  of  others,  and  another  was  his  unbounded 
generosity  in  assisting  poor  and  worthy  girls,  giving  them  their 
schooling,  and  often  books  and  clothing.  In  many  instances 
their  parents  were  able  to  pay  him  comparatively  nothing.  Then 
of  his  surrender  of  all  he  had  to  satisfy  his  creditors. 

"  When  leaving  Palmyra  with  a  sad  heart,  on  his  way  to  the 
depot  he  met  the  Baptist  minister,  Mr.  James  S.  Green.  He 
said  :  'Good-bye,  Green;  I  shall  never  be  anything  but  a  five 
hundred  dollar  a  year  preacher  as  long  as  I  remain  in  Palmyra, 
and  have  to  go  where  I  can  do  better,  and  try  and  make  the 
money  to  pay  off  my  debts.'  I  would  love  to  tell  of  his  brave 
efforts  and  payments  he  made  until  he  was  arrested  and  impris- 
oned, sending  all  the  money  above  his  expenses  to  his  creditors  • 
then  of  his  arrest  and  long  imprisonment,  after  which  he  was 

93 


94  LIFE    OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

sent  South,  where  he  was  only  able  to  support  himself  and  wife, 
during  all  which  time  his  debts  were  accumulating  by  ten  per 
cent  interest,  which,  by  the  close  of  the  war,  brought  them  up 
to  their  original  amount,  about  $11,000;  which  amount,  by  lead- 
ing a  life  of  continuous  active  labor,  preaching  at  his  regular  ap- 
pointment and  holding  meetings  as  opportunity  offered,  and 
practicing  the  most  rigid  economy  for  several  years,  he  manfully 
and  honorably  discharged  every  debt,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  his 
creditors,  but  by  this  time  to  the  detriment  of  his  health  ;  and  he 
has  bee'n  able  to  make  but  little  headway,  financially,  since.  I 
think  his  last  payment  was  made  in  1873  or  74,  and  Dr.  Hopson 
was  a  free  and  honored  man,  beloved  and  respected  in  his  church 
and  by  the  world  as  an  honest  man." 

The  above  was  written  by  a  dear  friend  and  brother, 
whom  the  Doctor  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing  not  long 
after  we  moved  to  Palmyra. 

A  gentleman,  not  a  member  of  any  church,  writes 
the  following : 

"  You  ask  me  to  give  you  an  estimate  of  Dr.  Hopson's  char- 
acter as  a  citizen  and  Christian  minister,  from  a  worldly  stand- 
point, or  what  those  outside  of  the  church  think  of  him.  I  can 
simply  say  I  have  more  confidence  in  him  than  in  any  preacher  I 
ever  knew  or  was  acquainted  with,  as  an  honest,  upright  gentle- 
man and  Christian.  Furthermore,  nine-tenths  of  the  men  in  this 
community  who  were  not  members  of  any  church  and  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  Doctor,  give  him  that  character. 

"  I  was  speaking  to  an  old  citizen — a  prominent  business  man 
— a  few  months  ago,  about  the  preachers  who  had  lived  here 
since  his  recollection  and  mine,  and  gone  away  in  debt.  His  re- 
mark was  that  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson  was  the  only  one  who  had  ever 
returned  and  paid  in  full,  everything  he  owed,  principal  and  in- 
terest— and,  indeed,  compound  interest.  He  was  a  member  of 
another  church." 

In  January,  1860,  Dr.  Hopson  bade  his  friends  and 
adopted  State  a  sad  and  reluctant  farewell.  The  breth- 
ren on  the  Mississippi  River  made  him  promise  that  at 
the  end  of  two  years  he  would  return  and  make  his 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    IHU'sn.N.  95 

home  in  Missouri,  provided  they  would  give  him  a  h«>u>r 
and  enough  ground  to  support  himself  and  family,  out- 
side of  his  preaching.  He  removed  at  once  to  Lexing- 
ton, and  commenced  his  labors  there.  He  was  welcomed 
by  a  good  church,  of  noble  brethren,  who  were  ready 
and  willing  to  aid  their  preacher  in  every  poasible  way  ; 
a  competent  eldership  and  diaconate,  who  were  always 
ready  to  give  counsel  and  encouragement. 

The  following  two  years  were  delightfully  spent  in 
our  new  home.  The  Doctor  had  a  source  of  pleasure  he 
never  before  enjoyed — the  society  of  his  preaching  breth- 
ren, who  were  continually  passing  through  Lexington, 
and  who  always  spent  a  few  hours  in  the  city  in  transitu. 

The  first  few  months  we  boarded  a  mile  in  the  coun- 
try with  Elder  Joseph  Wasson  and  his  dear,  good  wife. 
She  was  a  mother,  indeed,  to  us  while  we  were  under 
her  roof. 

We  usually  spent  two  days  in  the  week  visiting.  We 
would  walk  in  early  and  spend  the  morning  making 
calls.  We  had  five  lunch  houses — Brethren  Van  Pelt 
and  Emmal  Warner  (their  latch-string  was  always  out 
for  us  at  dinner  time),  and  Sister  Allen  (Aunt  Polly), 
and  Sister  Carty,  (whose  husband  was  not  a  member,  but 
who  was  one  of  the  noble  Jasons  we  read  of,  and  who 
afterwards  became  a  member  of  the  church). 

During  the  time  of  the  Doctor's  first  pastorate  in 
Lexington — from  January  1st,  1860,  to  May  1st,  1862 — 
he  had  ninety-four  additions  to  the  church  by  baptism. 
Besides  his  labor  for  the  church  in  the  city,  he  held 
meetings  at  Old  Union,  Berea,  Newtown,  Leesburg, 
Clintonville,  Richmond,  Versailles,  Georgetown,  Paris, 
Nicholasville,  Danville,  Cynthiana,  Louisville,  Winches- 
ter, Mt.  Sterling;  also  for  the  churches  at  Elkhorn, 


96  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Macedonia,  Providence,  Keene  and  Sulphur  Well.  I 
think  he  held  one  at  North  Middletown,  also.  I  have 
endeavored  to  ascertain  the  number  of  additions  at  these 
various  meetings,  but  so  far  as  I  have  made  inquiry,  I 
have  been  unable  to  find  out  anything  about  it.  I  sup- 
pose the  church  clerks  think  the  Lord  will  know  his 
own  when  he  comes,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  keep  a 
record.  Bro.  White,  of  Lexington,  is  the  only  clerk 
who  has  in  his  possession  the  required  information. 

I  know  he  never  held  a  meeting  in  which  he  did  not 
meet  with  success  in  winning  many  souls  to  Christ — often 
from  thirty  to  forty  in  a  two  weeks'  meeting.  Whenever 
he  was  near  enough  to  do  so,  he  would  preach  twice  a  day 
and  drive  into  the  city  after  preaching  so  as  to  be  at  his 
own  prayer-meeting  or  officers'  meeting.  He  would 
preach  twice  a  day  during  the  week,  and  leave  the  meet- 
ing and  preach  at  home  on  Sunday,  and  return  again 
Monday  morning.  All  his  country  meetings  were  all- 
day  basket-meetings.  Those  basket-meetings,  as  they 
were  called,  were  grand  things.  The  brethren  and  sis- 
ters gave  themselves  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  preach- 
ing; nothing  else  was  thought  of  or  talked  of.  The 
dinner — a  Kentucky  dinner — was  cooked  and  brought  to 
the  church  by  servants,  who  took  charge  of  it  until 
church  was  over,  then  the  snow-white  cloth  was  spread 
on  the  grass  or  improvised  table  and  a  bountiful  repast 
was  laid  out  for  the  multitude. 

The  people  came  from  all  the  towns  around  to  attend 
these  gatherings,  and  I  have  seen  as  many  as  two  thou- 
sand people  at  one  of  those  midsummer  meetings  at  Old 
Union,  in  Bourbon  county.  Those  were  grand  social 
gatherings,  as  well  as  religious  meetings.  They  were 
always  attended  with  an  ingathering  of  souls,  as  well  as 


LIFE  OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  97 

an  increase  of  brotherly  love.  It  brought  together  the 
preachers,  and  made  them  take  a  deeper  interest  in  each 
other  and  in  the  cuuse  they  loved.  I  wish  I  had  space 
in  my  book  to  speak  of  them  all — Bro.  Gano,  dear  old 
Bro.  Rogers,  and  Bro.  John  I.  Rogers,  brethren  Rick- 
etts,  Walden,  McGinn,  Jarrott,  King,  John  Smith, 
Bronson,  Collins,  Raines,  Hardin,  John  A.  Brooks,  and 
others.  These  were  among  his  co-workers  during  his 
first  engagement  in  Lexington. 

The  Doctor  would  often  say,  "  If  we  were  only  house- 
keeping, how  much  pleasure  we  should  enjoy  in  enter- 
taining our  brethren  !"  but  we  were  not  able  to  afford  it. 

Those  meetings — real  love-feasts — and  those  brethren 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  any  old  enough  to  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  them.  Six  of  those  brethren  mentioned 
have  "  crossed  over  the  river,"  and  two  of  them  are  now 
waving  their  farewells  to  loved  ones;  the  other  five  are 
fighting  valiantly  for  the  old  paths.  Often  four  or  five 
preachers  would  be  present  at  the  meeting,  and  spend 
from  three  to  five  days  in  religious  enjoyment.  These 
were  new  experiences  to  the  Doctor  and  seasons  of  in- 
tense pleasure. 

I  remember  a  meeting  the  Doctor  held  at  Berea,  at 
which  Bro.  Gano,  Bro.  John  Smith,  Bro.  McGinn,  and 
one  other  minister  besides  Dr.  Hopson,  assisted,  whom 
I  can  not  now  call  to  mind.  They  were  having 
meetings  in  the  morning  and  at  night,  instead  of  basket- 
meetings.  We  all  went  to  Bro.  Joshua  Smith's  to  din- 
ner. Just  as  we  rose  from  the  table  we  heard  a  roaring 
sound,  and,  looking  out  of  the  window,  saw  a  terrific  storm 
approaching.  Trees  were  being  uprooted  or  broken  off, 
fences  flying  in  the  air,  cattle  and  horses  running  in  all 
directions,  maddened  with  fear;  birds  flying  wildly 


98  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

about.  It  seemed  as  if  in  a  moment  we  would  be  in  the 
midst  of  it  ourselves.  Sister  Smith  was  a  great  lover  of 
flowers,  and  had  a  large  number  of  beautiful  hot-house 
potted  plants  on  a  stand  in  the  back  yard.  She  ran  out 
to  see  if  she  could  select  one  favorite  and  save  it,  but 
turned  away  in  despair.  She  expected  in  another  mo- 
ment they  would  be  crushed  to  pieces  by  the  hail.  We 
had  all  sought  the  back  porch  and  awaited  the  shock  all 
felt  must  come.  A  few  moments  went  by ;  not  a  breath 
of  air  struck  us,  but  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  right 
and  left  of  us  the  work  of  destruction  was  continued. 
Sister  Smith  said  it  was  the  presence  of  the  five  good 
men  that  saved  her  home  from  the  awful  storm  and  her 
beautiful  flowers  from  destruction.  We  all  felt  it  was 
indeed  a  special  providence,  whose  protecting  care  is  so 
often  manifested  in  the  lives  of  God's  children. 

On  returning  to  church  that  evening,  the  road  was 
blocked  in  two  or  three  places  by  fallen  trees,  and  the 
fences  had  to  be  taken  down  to  enable  us  to  ride  through 
pastures. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Beginning  of  the  War. — Withdrawal  of  the  States. — Meeting 
in  Cincinnati. — First  Gun  Fired. — Resignation  at  Lexington. 
—His  Position. — Kentucky  Neutrality. — Pledged  to  Neutral- 
ity.— Fidelity  of  Union  Friends. — Fear  of  Arrest. — Took  our 
Daughter  to  Missouri,  to  Mrs.  Fife,  Dr.  Hopson's  Mother. 

One  year  of  this  delightful  work  passed  swiftly  by. 
The  war-cloud  was  slowly  gathering  over  the  land  ;  mut- 
terings  of  the  coming  storm  were  growing  louder.  De- 
cember 20th,  1860,  the  State  Convention  of  South  Caro- 
lina "  passed  an  ordinance  to  dissolve  the  union  between 
the  State  of  South  Carolina  and  other  States  united  with 
her  under  the  campact  entitled,  The  Constitution  of  the 
United  States."  Mississippi  was  the  next  State,  January 
9th,  1861.  Florida  followed  on  the  10th  ;  Alabama, 
the  llth;  Georgia,  the  18th;  Louisiana  on  the  20th. 
No  one  could  calculate  the  result.  It  would  have  taken 
a  bold  hand  and  a  stout  heart  to  have  lifted  the  veil  of 
the  future  and  to  have  looked  upon  what  lay  beyond. 

The  Doctor  continued  his  meetings.  As  yet  there 
was  not  excitement  enough  in  Kentucky  to  interfere  with 
his  work,  and  in  spite  of  rumors  of  war  he  was  success- 
ful in  winning  many  souls  to  Christ. 

April  5th,  1861,  lie  commenced  a  meeting  in  Cincin- 
nati, which  promised  to  be  as  interesting  as  the  one  he 
held  in  1859.  He  had  been  preaching  just  a  week,  the 
house  had  been  crowded  by  attentive  listeners,  when  the 
news  was  flashed  over  the  wires  that  Fort  Sumter  had 

39 


100  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

been  fired  upon.  The  excitement  in  the  city  was  in- 
tense ;  the  streets  were  filled  with  rushing  crowds,  excited 
and  augmented  by  the  music  of  fife  and  drum. 

Bro.  Bishop  took  the  Doctor  in  his  carriage  and  rode 
through  the  crowded  streets.  They  both  concluded  it 
was  useless  to  continue  the  meeting  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  closed  it  that  night  with  a  good  audience, 
many  of  whom  were  anxious  for  its  continuance. 

We  returned  to  Lexington  at  once.  The  Doctor 
went  quietly  on  with  his  work,  neither  talking  nor 
preaching  politics. 

The  friends  of  Dr.  Hopson  knew  where  his  convic- 
tions and  sympathies  were.  He  was  born  and  reared  in 
the  South.  All  his  relatives  lived  there,  nearly  all  his 
life  had  been  spent  there ;  but  while  he  loved  the  South, 
he  felt  no  enmity  towards  the  North.  While  he  was 
strongly  Southern,  I  was  by  faith,  conviction  and  educa- 
tion as  strongly  Union.  During  all  this  time  he  had  never 
said  anything  in  my  presence  that  could  wound  the  most 
sensitive.  He  preached  through  the  year  1861,  but 
finding  there  was  likely  to  be  trouble  in  Kentucky,  he 
thought  best  to  resign  charge  of  the  church,  January, 
1862,  to  take  effect  in  three  months,  and  then  he  would 
be  free  to  leave  the  State  if  he  felt  his  liberty  was  in 
danger. 

The  18th  of  April,  1861,  a  large  Union  meeting  was 
held  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  at  which  the  most  prominent 
Union  men  of  the  State  assisted,  and  declared  most  em- 
phatically for  neutrality  in  the  following  resolution: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  present  duty  of  Kentucky  is  to  maintain 
her  present  independent  position,  taking  sides,  not  with  the  Ad- 
ministration, nor  with  the  seceding  States,  but  with  the  Union 
against  them  both,  declaring  her  soil  to  be  sacred  from  the  hostile 


LIFE   OF    DR.  \V.    H.    HOPSOX.  101 

tread  of  either,  and,  if  necessary,  to  make  the  declaration  good 
with  her  own  right  arm." 

When  the  neutrality  of  Kentucky  was  declared,  Dr. 
Hopsou  said  he  would  abide  by  the  decision  and  by  no 
word  or  act  break  the  compact  made  by  his  native  State. 
Another  thing  added  to  his  resolve  and  strengthened  his 
purpose.  During  the  summer  of  '61,  I  think  it  was,  a 
meeting  was  called  at  Lexington,  of  as  many  of  the 
brethren  among  our  preachers  as  could  be  conveniently 
'brought  together,  to  discuss  the  matter  of  urging  our 
brethren  throughout  the  State  to  keep  out  of  the  strife 
and  so  preserve  the  harmony  of  the  churches.  Bro. 
Henderson  came  up  from  Louisville  upon  this  special 
mission,  and  it  was  due  to  his  most  earnest  and  persist- 
ent efforts  that  the  brethren  present  decided  to  urge  the 
measure  upon  our  large  church  through  the  State.  The 
appeal  was  to  be  written  and  sent  to  Lexington.  Bro.  Z. 
F.  Smitli  and  Dr.  Hopson  were  to  take  it  and  visit  the 
churches,  get  the  signatures  of  our  prominent  brethren, 
and  have  it  printed  and  distributed  among  all  the  con- 
gregations. From  that  hour  Dr.  Hopson  felt  himself 
most  sacredly  pledged  to  be  prudent  and  careful  in  all  he 
said  or  did,  as  he  was  bound  by  his  church  as  well  as  his 
State. 

To  the  Union  men  of  the  church  in  Kentucky,  Dr. 
Hopson  will  always  feel  greatly  indebted  for  their  un- 
varying kindness  and  devotion  to  him  in  those  trying 
days.  Some  of  the  men  whose  loyalty  could  not  be 
doubted  stood  by  him  to  the  last.  Brethren  Wm.  Van 
Pelt  and  W.  B.  Emmal  are  two  whose  houses  we  visited 
every  week  while  in  Lexington.  John  G.  Allen,  McMi- 
chael,  and  others,  were  his  warm  friends ;  also,  Bro. 


102  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Harry  Graves,  of  Georgetown.  All  loved  him,  and 
never  faltered  in  their  allegiance  to  him  in  the  dark  days 
that  followed.  While  with  these  he  had  the  friendship 
and  confidence  of  such  men  as  Benjamin  Gratz,  David 
Sayer,  Madison  Johnson,  Garret  Davis  and  John  Carty. 
These  men  were  all  in  the  Union  ranks.  His  uncle, 
Dr.  Henry  Hopson,  of  Paris,  (a  noble,  grand  man  he 
was)  opposed  his  nephew  both  in  politics  and  religion 
(he  being  an  Episcopalian),  but  they  loved  each  other 
most  tenderly. 

When  he  resigned  his  position  in  the  church  at  Lex- 
ington, he  told  some  of  the  brethren  he  was  afraid  he 
would  be  arrested,  but  both  parties  told  him  they  did  not 
think  it  probable  and  opposed  the  step  ;  but  he  thought 
it  would  be  best  to  do  so.  They  then  asked  him  who 
would  be  a  good  man  to  take  his  place.  He  told  them 
he  only  knew  of  one  man  who  he  felt  would  suit  the 
time  and  people — J.  W.  McGarvey,  of  Missouri.  Some 
one  asked  the  Doctor,  "  What  are  his  politics  ?"  Dr. 
Hopson  said  :  "  I  do  not  know,  nor  will  you  ever  know 
if  you  wait  for  him  to  enlighten  you;  and  that  is  one  of 
the  reasons  I  can  recommend  him  to  you."  Bro.  McGar- 
vey agreed  to  come,  and  the  years  that  followed  showed 
the  wisdom  of  the  choice. 

Several  Union  men  told  the  Doctor  that  if  there 
should  be  any  serious  talk  of  his  arrest  they  would  be 
likely  to  hear  of  it,  and  would  notify  him  in  time  to 
leave  the  State.  Upon  this  promise  he  rested  easy. 

In  February,  Dr.  Hopson  thought  it  best  for  me  to 
take  our  daughter  to  Missouri  and  leave  her  in  charge  of 
mother,  at  school,  in  Paris.  I  left  Lexington  the  8th, 
reaching  Paris  safely  the  third  day.  When  I  reached 
Cincinnati,  on  my  way  home,  the  news  of  the  fall  of 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  103 

Fort  Donelson  was  creating  an  excitement  as  intense  as 
the  first  gun  at  Charleston  had  the  year  before. 

The  following  day  I  returned  to  Lexington.  The 
Doctor  said  he  was  prepared  to  leave  at  any  time  it 
might  be  thought  necessary. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Meetings  at  Shelbyvule,  Eminence,  Bloomfield,  Old  Union. — 
Morgan's  Raid. — Meeting  Closed. — The  Doctor  Notified  that 
the  Order  was  out  for  His  Arrest. — Attempt  to  Escape. — 
Union  Friends. — Refusal  to  Compromise  Them. — His  Sur- 
render to  Major  Brook,  of  Lexington. — Parole. — Arrest  by 
Col.  Warner. — Louisville  Prison. — Preaching. — Refusal  to 
take  the  "  Iron-clad  Oath." — Camp  Morton. — Johnson's 
Island. — False  Charges. — My  Endeavors  to  Secure  his  Re- 
lease.— Banished  from  the  State. 

The  months  of  May  and  June  were  spent  in  evan- 
gelizing. The  Doctor  held  meetings  in  Shelbyville, 
Eminence  and  Bloomfield.  The  1st  of  July  he  was  at 
Old  Union,  in  one  of  those  glorious  meetings  everybody 
loved  to  be  at.  Elder  T.  M.  Allen  was  with  him,  and, 
of  course,  Bro.  John  A.  Gano. 

While  it  was  rumored  that  John  Morgan  was 
marching  into  Kentucky,  many  believed  it  an  idle  re- 
port. It  was  difficult  to  get  at  the  truth  of  any  war  news 
then. 

The  meeting  was  growing  in  interest.  Many  were 
coming  to  Christ,  in  spite  of  the  excitement.  The  18th 
of  July  was  a  lovely  day  ;  the  house  was  crowded  with 
people.  Dr.  Hopson  was  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon, 
when  twenty-five  or  thirty  Morgan  men  rode  up  to 
the  church.  He  at  once  dismissed  the  congregation. 
While  he  and  Bro.  Allen  were  looking  upon  the  excit- 
ing scene  some  one  handed  the  Doctor  a  note.  It  ran 
thus: 

104 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  105 

"  Dear  Doctor :— I  promised  to  let  you  know  if  at  any  time 
you  were  in  danger.  The  order  is  out  for  your  arrest;  get  out  of 
the  way  the  best  you  can.  Your  Union  Friend, 

"  GEORGETOWN.  J.  L." 

He  handed  the  note  to  Bros.  Allen  and  Gano ;  both 
were  Union  men  at  that  time.  They  were  both  shocked 
and  grieved. 

There  was  short  time  for  thought.  The  boys  urged 
the  Doctor  to  go  with  them  at  once.  He  told  them  he 
had  some  necessary  arrangements  to  make,  and  would 
try  to  reach  them  when  they  left  the  State,  so  as  to  have 
their  protection. 

Before  the  sun  went  down  the  boys  in  gray  had 
come  and  gone,  but  had  taken  with  them  some  twenty  of 
the  young  men  of  the  neighborhood.  It  was  a  time  for 
sad  farewells  and  tears ;  brothers,  sons,  lovers,  were  leav- 
ing their  homes  and  loved  ones,  and  God  alone  knew  if 
any  of  them  would  ever  return. 

The  Doctor  closed  the  meeting  at  once.  We  went 
home  with  Bro.  Gano,  Bro.  Allen  going  with  us.  After 
supper  we  were  sitting  out  in  the  yard,  under  the  trees, 
all  silent,  and  thinking  of  what  the  day  had  brought 
forth.  Twilight  had  gathered  about  us,  when  the  tramp 
of  horses  and  rattling  of  sabers  announced  the  advance 
of  soldiers,  but  on  which  side  we  knew  not. 

They  came  down  the  long  avenue  leading  to  the 
house,  and  as  they  entered  the  last  gate  a  few  rods  away, 
the  leader  spoke.  Dear  Uncle  Billy  Conn  spoke  first : 
*'  That  is  Dick's  voice."  Almost  simultaneously  Dr. 
Hopson  said:  "That  is  Gen.  Gano."  In  a  moment  he 
was  in  his  father's  arms,  and  surrounded  by  the  whole 
family.  They  had  not  seen  ^him  for  two  years.  Bro. 
Gano  stood  for  a  moment  looking  at  Dr.  Hopson,  and 


106  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

said  :  "  They  may  send  me  to  prison  if  they  want  to,  but 
I  will  give  Richard  his  supper."  I  shall  never  forget 
that  hour.  When  we  gathered  about  the  family  altar 
that  night  there  were  two  sons  less  in  the  family  group. 
Bro.  Allen  was  the  only  one  who  could  lift  his  voice  in 
prayer. 

The  nezt  morning  early,  Dr.  H.  left  for  D.  B.  Bry- 
an's, whose  house  had  been  our  home  for  three  months, 
who  was  a  Union  man  then,  and  is  yet,  I  suppose.  The 
Doctor  made  immediate  preparations  to  leave.  By  the 
time  he  was  ready,  the  country  was  filled  with  home- 
guards.  He  attempted  to  make  his  way  out  through  Mt. 
Sterling,  but  found  himself  hemmed  in  so  that  escape 
was  impossible.  He  went  to  the  house  of  a  Union 
friend  and  brother  in  the  church,  with  whom  he  had 
been  intimate  ever  since  he  moved  to  the  State,  and  at 
whose  house  he  had  stayed  for  weeks. 

He  was  warmly  welcomed  and  the  brother  began  at 
once  to  suggest  ways  and  means  of  escape.  He  said  he 
felt  sure  that  Dr.  H.  had  violated  no  law  that  would 
make  him  amenable  to  the  charge  of  treason.  He  told 
the  Doctor  he  could  conceal  him  until  he  could  make  his 
escape,  or  he  would  take  him  in  his  carriage  to  the  Ohio 
River  and  put  him  across,  and  furnish  him  money  to  go 
where  he  pleased. 

The  Doctor  told  him  he  could  not  accept  his  generous 
offer,  but  that  he  would  remain  with  him  until  he  could 
send  to  his  uncle,  Dr.  Hopson,  and  do  whatever  he  ad- 
vised him. 

His  uncle  came  immediately,  and  advised  him  to  re- 
turn to  Lexington  at  once,  as  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  leave  the  State ;  and  he  might  be  safer  at  headquar- 
ters than  to  run  the  risk  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 


LIFE    OF    DK.   \V.    II.    IKH'SON.  107 

predatory  bands  of  home-guards  that  were  roaming  the 
country. 

They  returned  to  Lexington  together,  and  at  once 
reported  at  Major  Brock's  office,  who  assured  the  Doctor 
he  would  not  be  detained,  but  to  go  where  he  pleased, 
and  report  to  him  at  2  P.  M.  He  at  once  came  up  to 
Dr.  D.  Morton's,  where  I  was  staying.  Just  as  the 
dinner-bell  rang  there  was  a  loud  knock  at  the  front 
door.  When  Dr.  Morton  opened  it,  two  Federal  sol- 
diers were  standing  on  the  step.  They  asked  if  Dr. 
Hopson  was  there.  Dr.  Morton  said  to  them,  "  There 
is  the  gentleman."  The  spokesman  said,  "  We  want  him 
to  come  with  us."  Dr.  Morton  begged  them  to  let  Dr. 
H.  get  his  dinner.  No  ;  their  orders  were  peremptory — 
Bring  him  at  once.  Dr.  Hopson  told  them  he  was  under 
arrest,  and  on  parole.  Remonstrance  was  vain — go  he 
must.  He  left.  I  expected  fully  he  would  be  back  in 
in  an  hour  or  two,  and  had  his  dinner  put  away — and  it 
was  over  four  years  before  he  came  after  it. 

Instead  ot  takiug  him  to  the  Provost's  office,  he  was 
taken  to  the  jail,  and  turned  into  the  yard  with  all  sorts 
of  people.  He  felt  the  truth  of  the  adage,  "  Misfortune 
makes  acquainted  with  strange  "  companions. 

When  three  o'clock  came,  I  began  to  feel  very 
uneasy  at  his  absence.  A  little  while  after,  Bro. 
McGarvey  called.  I  asked  him  if  he  saw  the  Doctor 
down  town.  He  said  yes ;  and  after  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion, he  continued,  "  He  sent  a  message  to  you  by  me. 
I  heard  he  was  to  be  sent  away  on  the  cars,  and  went  to 
the  depot  to  see  him,  but  was  not  allowed  to  approach 
him."  He  delivered  the  message,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  mingled  tones  of  sadness  and  sympathy  with 
which  he  announced  to  me  the  sad  news.  Were  I 


108  LIFE    OF    DR.    W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

writing  my  own  history,  instead  of  Dr.  Hopson's,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  describe  my  feelings.  He  was 
taken  away  from  me  so  suddenly,  without  a  farewell,  and 
oblivious  of  his  destination.  He  told  Bro.  McGarvey 
to  tell  me  he  would  write  to  me  at  once,  so  I  would 
know  where  he  was.  He  was  arrested  at  noon,  July  25, 
1862  (Friday).  I  waited  until  Tuesday ;  could  hear  no 
tidings.  One  paper  said  he  had  been  sent  North,  and 
another  South. 

As  soon  as  Bro.  McGarvey  left,  I  sent  for  Mr.  John 
Carty,  a  warm  Union  friend  of  the  Doctor's,  to  ascer- 
tain, if  possible,  why  he  had  been  sent  away,  instead  of 
being  tried  in  Lexington,  where  everybody  knew  him 
and  his  record.  Mr.  Carty  came  at  once,  and  told  me 
that  Dr.  Hopson's  friends  among  the  Union, men  advised 
the  step ;  that  it  would  probably  save  bloodshed,  as 
^threats  were  made  to  tear  the  jail  down  to  procure  his 
release,  if  necessary,  and  that  men  were  ready  to  rouse 
and  rally  the  Doctor's  friends  from  all  parts  of  the 
county.  He  said  it  was  a  most  unfortunate  arrest,  and 
he  regretted  it  exceedingly,  as  did  other  Union  men,  as 
well  as  Southern.  He  was  very  kind,  and  advised  with 
me  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue  to  obtain  his  release. 

I  waited  until  Tuesday  for  news  from  him,  and,  not 
receiving  any,  I  telegraphed  to  "VVm.  Terry,  who  re- 
sponded that  Dr.  Hopson  was  in  the  military  prison  in 
Louisville,  but  that  I  would  not  be  able  to  see  him  be- 
fore Thursday.  I  immediately  packed  his  clothes,  and 
boarded  the  cars  and  went  down  to  the  city.  Wednes- 
day morning,  Sister  Huffman  and  I  went  to  the  prison, 
and  succeeded  in  gaining  admittance  at  once.  It  was  a 
sad  meeting.  When  I  asked  him  what  I  could  do  to 
obtain  his  liberty,  he  said  he  could  see  no  hope  of  release. 


I, IKK    OF    DR.  W.    II.    HOPSON.  109 

A  lawyer  had  already  visited  him  with  a  proposition  that 
if  he  would  take  the  "  iron-clad  oath,"  as  it  was  called, 
and,  in  addition,  give  a  bond  of  $10,000  to  behave  in 
the  future,  he  could  be  set  at  liberty.  The  first  he  could 
not,  and  the  second  he  would  not  do.  He  was  required 
by  the  "  iron-clad  oath"  to  swear  that  he  had  no  sympa- 
thy for  the  South.  He  said  to  me :  "  Ella,  if  I  were  to 
take  that  oath,  every  Southern  friend  and  every  Union 
friend  I  have  would  know  I  had  perjured  myself.  I 
was  horn  and  reared  in  the  South,  and  loyalty  to  race 
and  loyalty  to  principle  would  forbid  my  taking  that 
oath.  I  am  willing  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States  and  go  to  Canada  or  Dixie,  if  I  am  ob- 
noxious, but  I  will  lie  in  prison  and  rot  before  I  will 
perjure  myself.  Since  the  war  began  I  have  occupied 
the  position  taken  by  the  State  of  Kentucky,  and  have 
never  violated  the  solemn  compact  entered  into  with  the 
brethren  in  Lexington.  I  have  never  by  advice,  coun- 
sel or  money  violated  that  pledge.  I  have  nothing  to 
say  against  the  government ;  I  do  not  believe  it  respon- 
sible for  my  arrest.  I  have  not  been  informed  of  the 
charges  against  me,  nor  can  I  find  out.  I  have  no  hard 
words  for  those  who  caused  my  arrest,  but  I  will  be  con- 
sistent and  honest." 

I  tried  for  a  week  to  obtain  a  copy  of  the  charges 
against  him,  but  in  vain.  I  knew  it  would  be  useless 
for  me  to  attempt  to  stir  in  the  matter  until  I  knew  what 
I  had  to  contend  against.  Again  and  again  I  visited  the 
Provost  Marshal's  office,  but  in  vain.  Col.  Harney 
would  give  me  no  satisfaction.  Why,  I  could  not  learn. 

Mr.  Carty  advised  me  to  ascertain  the  charges  against 
him,  and  then  get  the  certificates  of  Union  men  to  prove 


110  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

their  falsity,  and  take  the  vindication  to  Washington  and 
obtain  his  release.  I  found  it  impossible. 

I  shall  always  feel  indebted  to  some  of  the  Union 
men  of  Louisville  for  their  kindness  in  that  trying  time. 
Wm.  Kaye  was  mayor  of  the  city  then,  and  I  am  in- 
debted to  him  for  courtesies  and  advice. 

Capt.  Zach.  Sherley  assisted  me  all  he  could,  and  vis- 
ited Dr.  Hopson  in  prison  to  see  if  he  could  aid  him  in 
any  way.  When  Dr.  Hopson  told  him  that  he  intended 
to  preach  in  the  prison  the  following  Sunday,  Capt. 
Sherley  begged  him  not  to  do  it,  as  an  order  was  out  that 
if  any  one  attempted  to  preach  they  should  be  put  in 
irons.  Dr.  Hopson  told  him  that  he  received  his  author- 
ity to  preach  from  a  higher  power  than  any  human  gov- 
ernment, and  he  would  like  to  wear  chains  for  Christ's 
sake.  He  made  his  appointment  for  Sunday  morning, 
and  promptly  the  seats  were  filled,  and  just  as  he  com- 
menced preaching  a  soldier  entered  the  'room.  The 
Doctor  thought  he  was  going  to  take  him  from  the  stand, 
in  all  probability,  but  instead,  he  slipped  a  note  on  the 
end  of  his  bayonet,  and,  reaching  forward,  gave  it  to  the 
Doctor.  It  read : 

"  Dr.  Hopson  will  be  allowed  to  preach,  provided  he  does  not 
preach  treason.  GEN.  JERRY  BOYLE." 

The  Doctor  read  the  note  and  went  on  with  the  serv- 
ices. Capt.  Sherley  had  procured  that  concession  for 
him  on  the  part  of  those  in  authority. 

Bro.  Wm.  Giltner  came  down  from  Eminence  to  see 
if  he  could  be  of  any  assistance  to  him.  These  assur- 
ances of  esteem  and  confidence  were  very  precious  to 
him  in  this  hour  of  trial.  There  were  many  others 
equally  kind.  After  eighteen  days'  confinement  in  the 


1.IKK    OF    DR.    \V.    II.    IKii'SON.  Ill 

Louisville  prison,  the  authorities  determined  to  remove 
the  prisoners  to  Camp  Morton,  Iml.  I  was  notified 
that  I  must  visit  the  Doctor  the  day  before  the  one 
set  for  removal,  as  I  would  not  be  permitted  to  see 
him  on  that  day.  Still  I  felt  I  must  see  him  leave,  and 
Sister  Huffman  and  I  went  down  in  the  carriage  to  the 
prison.  Capt.  Dillard  took  pity  on  me,  and  said  I  might 
go  up  and  see  the  Doctor  if  I  would  only  stay  ten  min- 
utes, as  they  were  nearly  ready  to  be  marched  out  to 
leave.  We  were  still  ignorant  of  the  charge  against 
him,  but  he  remarked  to  me,  "  They  have  a  new  Provost 
Marshal,  Col.  Dent.  I  think  he  is  a  gentleman.  You 
go  and  see  him,  and  maybe  he  will  give  you  the  desired 
information."  It  was  a  sad,  sad  hour  when  I  saw  my 
dear  husl>and  marched  off  between  rows  of  bristling 
bayonets,  while  he  was  not  allowed*  even  to  wave  a  fare- 
well to  hundreds  of  his  friends  who  were  looking  from 
windows  and  lining  the  sidewalks.  I  never  saw  him 
walk  so  proudly  or  look  so  grandly  as  he  did  then,  while 
it  seemed  to  me  my  heart  would  break ;  yet  I  felt  that  I 
would  rather  never  see  him  again  than  that  he  should 
swear  falsely  for  the  sake  of  securing  his  liberty. 

Mrs.  Huffman  and  I  went  immediately  to  the  Prov- 
ost's office,  and  found  Col.  Dent  in.  He  was  very 
kind,  and  listened  to  my  story.  He  sent  for  Capt.  Dil- 
lard, who  was  to  take  the  prisoners  away,  and  asked  for 
the  paper  containing  the  charges  against  Dr.  Hopson. 
Capt.  Dillard  readily  produced  it,  and  handed  it  to  Col. 
Dent.  He  opened  it,  and  handed  it  to  me.  It  said  : 

"  Dr.  Hopson  has  thrown  all  his  abilities,  energies  and  heart 
into  this  wicked  rebellion,  which  is  a  disgrace,  not  merely  to 
Christianity,  but  to  civilization.  He  has  devoted  his  days  and 
nights  for  upwards  of  a  year  to  the  destruction  of  the  best  govern 


112  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

raent  that  ever  existed.  His  example,  coming  from  one  of  the 
first  Christian  preachers  in  the  State,  would  have  been  mischiev- 
ous and  criminal  enough,  but  he  devoted  his  rare  intellectual 
abilities  to  the  furtherance  of  his  pernicious  example.  He  made 
preaching  tours,  and  wherever  he  went  the  secesh  gathered  to 
hear  the  gospel  of  rebellion,  treason,  murder,  pillage  and  piracy, 
and  wherever  he  went  a  crop  of  secession  thistles  and  brambles 
sprung  up  in  his  path.  He  joined  Morgan,  and  raided  through 
the  country  with  him,  and  is  his  chaplain.  His  church  desire 
him  summarily  dealt  with." 

.  There  were  no  names  signed  to  this  precious  doc- 
ument. Why  ?  Simply  because  there  was  no  man  liv- 
ing who  would  have  dared  to  put  his  name  to  such  in- 
famous falsehoods.  Those  who  made  these  charges 
knew  they  were  false,  and  were  afraid  to  father  them. 

Col.  Dent  gave  me  the  same  advice  Mr.  Carty  had.  I 
returned  to  Lexington  the  following  day,  and  made  ar- 
rangements to  write  to  Union  preachers  with  whom  the 
Doctor  had  held  meetings  during  the  year,  to  procure 
certificates  disproving  the  charges. 

I  was  in  the  city  only  two  days,  when  a  friend  who 
had  been  visiting  in  the  country  came  home.  I  was 
staying  at  her  daughter's.  She  said  she  was  glad  and 
sorry  to  see  me ;  that  the  lady's  husband  where  she  had 
been  visiting  said  they  were  going  to  arrest  me  on  my 
return  from  Louisville.  I  told  her  I  did  not  like  to 
leave,  as  it  would  defeat  my  effort  to  release  the  Doctor. 
She  said  that  was  what  they  wanted  to  do.  That  evening 
I  got  a  letter  from  Uncle  Henry  Hopson,  of  Paris, 
telling  me  there  was  a  strong  feeling  in  favor  of  having 
me  arrested,  and  to  be  very  careful  and  prudent. 

I  determined  to  return  to  Louisville  at  once,  and 
await  answers  to  my  letters  there.  I  arrived  late  in  the 
evening,  and  was  driven  to  Bro.  Huffman's.  I  did  not 


LIFE  OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  113 

know  that  any  one  in  Louisville  knew  I  was  in  the  city. 
The  second  morning  after  my  arrival  I  received  a  note 
warning  me  that  I  would  be  arrested  on  sight.  I 
sent  for  Capt.  Sherley,  and  he  said  that,  while  he  would 
not  ordinarily  notice  anonymous  notes  and  letters,  it 
was  a  matter  in  which  it  was  best  to  run  no  risks,  and 
perhaps  I  had  better  leave  the  State.  He  sent  for  his 
son,  who  soon  had  a  carriage  at  the  door,  and  went  with 
me  to  Jeffersonville,  to  take  the  train  for  Chicago,  where 
1  had  friends  living. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Dr.  Hopson  a  Conscript. — His  Regrets. — No  Hope  of  Release. — 
His  Masonic  Relations  Advantageous.— Inside  Post-master. — 
Preached  Every  Sunday. — Accidental  Discovery. — Dutch 
Guard. — Way  of  Escape  Opened. — His  Release. — Sent  South. 
— Reports  of  his  Command'. — Kindness  of  Union  Friends 
while  in  Prison. — Bro.  Bishop. — Bro.  Graham. — Received 
Commission. — Gen.  Morgan  Delighted  that  the  Government 
had  Sent  him  a  Chaplain. 

I  was  about  the  first  refugee  that  left  Louisville  be- 
fore the  invasion  of  Gen.  Bragg's  army.  On  my  arrival 
in  Chicago,  I  found  my  relatives  absent  from  the  city,  and 
at  once  sought  the  hospitable  home  of  Bro.  H.  H.  Honore. 
I  was  made  very  welcome,  and  remained  there  four  weeks. 
From  there  I  went  to  La  Porte,  Ind.,  to  my  mother's, 
where  I  remained  until  the  Doctor's  release.  I  was  now 
in  a  position  to  have  free  correspondence  with  Dr.  Hop- 
son,  with  one  restriction  :  nothing  was  allowed  to  be  writ- 
ten on  war  topics,  nor  could  I  let  him  know  that  he  was 
a  conscript.  The  authorities  had  really  conscripted  him 
and  put  him  in  the  Confederate  army,  nolens  volens,  as  a 
chaplain.  He  was  one  of  whom  the  great  dramatist 
wrote  when  he  said,  "  Some  have  greatness  thrust  upon 
them."  Without  his  desire,  knowledge  or  consent,  he 
was  made  Gen.  John  Morgan's  chaplain  five  months  be- 
fore he  found  it  out.  Had  he  only  known  the  fact,  he 
might  have  been  saved  all  those  long,  weary  months  of 
imprisonment. 

His  letters  to  me  were  full  of  encouragement  and 
in 


I, IFF.    OF    Dlt.   W.    H.    HOl'SON. 

cheer.  He  deplored  the  fact  that  he  was  unable  to  pro- 
vide for  those  he  loved,  and  that  in  his  enforced  idleness 
he  could  do  nothing  to  lessen  his  indebtedness  in  Missouri. 
Up  to  the  time  of  his  arrest,  he  had  sent  every  dollar 
he  made  above  necessary  expenses  to  his  creditors,  which 
left  him  nearly  stripped  of  available  means.  He  said  he 
knew  I  could  make  a  living,  but  his  daughter  was  too 
young  to  assist  herself. 

He  felt  that  the  Confederate  government  would  have 
no  interest  in  his  exchange  as  he  was  not  a  fighting  man, 
and  patiently  and  uncomplainingly  he  did  his  duty  as  a 
prisoner.  The  last  three  months  of  his  imprisonment  was 
spent  at  Johnson's  Island.  He  said  the  prisoners  were  well 
fed  and  treated  kindly,  Louisville  being  the  hardest  prison 
he  was  in.  His  Masonic  affiliations  procured  him  many 
kindnesses  from  the  officers  in  charge  who  were  Masons 
themselves.  He  was  inside  post-master,  and  through 
their  indulgence  he  was  allowed  to  write  me  twice  a  week 
instead  of  twice  a  month,  and  as  much  as  he  pleased  each 
time.  He  preached  every  Lord's  day  to  thousands  of 
prisoners,  and  made  many  friends  among  them,  who  to- 
day are  scattered  all  over  the  West  and  South. 

After  nearly  five  months'  imprisonment,  the  way  of 
escape  was  opened  up  to  him.  One  day  when  the  guard 
was  changed,  a  German  was  detailed  to  call  the  roll  of 
the  Doctor's  mess  of  fifty-two  men.  Fortunately  he 
could  not  read  a  word  of  English,  and  asked  Dr.  Hopson 
to  read  his  roll  call  for  him.  The  Doctor  was  very  will- 
ing to  accommodate  him.  Opposite  every  man's  name 
was  the  charge  against  him.  When  he  came  to  W.  H. 
Hopson,  he  found  appended  to  it  "  John  Morgan's  chap- 
lain." How  his  heart  leaped!  That  name  was  the 


116  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

synonym  for  liberty.  He  sent  at  once  for  Major  Pierson, 
commandant  at  the  post,  and  demanded  his  release. 

The  Major  said,  "  On  what  grounds,  Doctor?"  "  As 
Morgan's  chaplain  ;  I  see  that  is  the  charge  upon  which 
I  was  arrested,  and  am  held  as  a  prisoner  still."  "  That 
is  true,  Doctor ;  but  we  know  you  are  not  Morgan's  chap- 
lain/' "Well,  Major,  those  who  put  me  here  ought  to 
have  known  what  I  was,  and  I  want  to  be  paroled  at 
once  and  make  preparations  to  go  South  and  join  the 
command."  "  You  will  have  to  go,  Doctor;  but  our  or- 
ders were  to  keep  you  here  during  the  war  and  treat  you 
kindly.  This  was  a  good  excuse  for  your  arrest,  but  we 
knew  you  were  not,  or  you  would  have  been  released  be- 
fore now,  for  John  Morgan  would  never  have  let  his 
chaplain  be  detained  in  prison  a  day.  I  will  telegraph 
to  Washington,  and  let  you  know  as  soon  as  I  hear  from 
there."  "  I  know  John  H.  Morgan  well,"  Dr.  Hopson 
said ;  "  a  braver,  truer  man  to  principle  I  never  knew, 
and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  have  my  name  associated  with 
his.  I  will  go  out  of  prison  on  this  plea,  so  providen- 
tially offered  me." 

The  Doctor  wrote  me  at  once  to  return  to  Lexington 
and  make  preparations  to  go  with  him  South.  When  I 
received  his  letter,  I  was  still  at  La  Porte.  Anxious  as  I 
was  to  go,  I  left  with  many  regrets.  I  made  some  very 
warm  friends,  who  showed  me  many  kindnesses.  They 
sent  Dr.  Hopson  a  nice  box  of  good  things  to  eat.  Some 
of  them  asked  me  what  kind  of  cake  Dr.  Hopson  liked 
best.  I  told  them  soft  gingerbread.  They  baked  one 
two  feet  long  and  eighteen  inches  wide ;  and,  put  in  the 
box,  it  just  fitted  on  top  of  all  the  rest.  This,  with  a 
box  sent  by  Sister  R.  M.  Bishop,  of  Cincinnati,  and 
friend?,  and  one  sent  by  Brethren  Van  Pelt,  Eramal,  and 


LIFE    OP    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  117 

others,  from  Lexington,  did  much  to  cheer  and  comfort 
the  Doctor  in  his  island  home. 

While  on  this  subject,  I  can  but  speak  of  Bro.  R.  M. 
Bishop's  great  kindness  to  the  Doctor  and  myself  during 
that  dark  and  trying  hour.  He  offered  to  do  anything 
in  his  power  to  assist  either,  and  was  making  arrange- 
ments to  go  to  Columbus  to  see  Gov.  Chase  when  the 
Doctor  was  released.  It  was  not  only  his  sympathy 
which  he  extended,  but  he  offered  pecuniary  aid  also, 
which  the  Doctor  said  he  could  not  accept  unless  abso- 
lutely necessary. 

Bro.  Graham  was  present  when  we  were  discussing 
the  matter,  and  said  to  me:  "Sister  Hopson,  I  would 
willingly  go  to  Johnson's  Island  to-morrow  and  take 
Bro.  Hopson's  place  if  I  could  relieve  him  or  have  him 
set  at  liberty."  The  memory  of  such  touching  expres- 
sions of  love  will  go  with  me  into  the  Great  Beyond,  and 
then  these  friends  will  know  how  grateful  the  human 
heart  can  be. 

In  less  than  a  week  Dr.  Hopson  was  sent  South,  with 
other  prisoners,  to  Vicksburg,  and  was  forbidden  to  com- 
municate with  any  one  verbally,  except  his  fellow-prison- 
ers and  guards,  until  he  reached  his  destination.  This  was 
unexpected,  and  a  great  disappointment  to  both  of  us. 
He  wrote  to  me  as  soon  as  he  found  out  the  terms  of  his 
release  to  sell  our  furniture,  horse,  buggy,  etc.,  and  join 
him  in  the  South  as  soon  as  I  could.  I  answered  by 
telegram  I  would  do  as  he  said. 

I  have  often  heard  him  relate  an  amusing  incident 
that  occurred  as  the  prisoners  were  marching  through  the 
streets  of  Cairo.  They  were  halted  a  moment,  and,  of 
course,  the  center  of  attraction  of  hundreds  of  eyes.  One 
old  negro  woman  was  near  him,  and,  fixing  her  gaze  upon 


118  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

him  especially,  she  began  to  laugh  immoderately.  The 
Doctor  was  amused  and  said,  "  Aunty,  what  'B  the  mat- 
ter ?"  "  Matter,  young  master  ?  You 's  gittin'  your  rights, 
aint  you  ?"  There  was  a  general  shout  from  all  who 
heard  it;  the  Doctor  enjoyed  it  with  the  rest,  and  it  was 
a  by-word  with  the  boys  as  long  as  they  were  together. 

The  prisoners  arrived  in  Vicksburg  early  in  Decem- 
ber, and  were  at  once  sent  to  Mobile,  from  which  place 
the  Doctor  made  his  way  to  Tennessee  as  fast  as  travel- 
ing facilities  would  permit.  He  reached  the  army  just 
as  the  battle  of  Mtirfreesboro  was  at  its  height,  and,  on 
inquiring  for  Gen.  Morgan's  command,  found  he  was  in 
Kentucky.  He  thought  he  would  go  on  to  the  battle 
field  and  see  if  he  could  not  be  of  some  service,  either  as 
a  physician  or  chaplain ;  but  he  was  ordered  back  by  the 
sentinels  stationed  to  keep  all  civilians  off  the  field.  The 
man  told  him  firmly  yet  politely  that  no  one  who  was  not 
fighting  or  whose  command  was  not  in  the  battle  would 
be  allowed  to  pass  a  certain  line.  The  Doctor  then  went 
to  the  rear,  and  did  all  he  could  to  assist  the  wounded 
in  the  improvised  hopitals. 

On  Morgan's  return,  he  was  ordered  to  McMinnville, 
where  the  Doctor  reported  to  him,  to  let  him  know  he 
had  a  chaplain  and  that  he  was  ready  for  duty.  Gen. 
Morgan  was  both  surprised  and  gratified,  and  at  once 
gave  him  his  commission,  with  pay  as  colonel,  and  told 
him  to  do  whatever  seemed  good  in  his  sight. 

The  middle  of  January  he  got  leave  of  absence  to  go 
to  Atlanta  to  supply  himself  with  clothing  and  a  proper 
outfit,  which  he  could  not  procure  at  McMinnville. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

My  Trip  South  to  Join  the  Doctor. — Illness  in  Baltimore. — Visit 
to  Washington. — Interview  with  J.  J.  Crittenden. — His  As- 
sistance.— Detained. — Seven  Weeks  at  Barnum's  Hotel. — 
Wonderful  Kindness  of  the  People. — Recovery. — Trip  South 
to  Richmond. — Bro.  Pettigrew  and  Family. — Success  in  Hus- 
band Hunting. — Met  the  Doctor  in  Augusta. — Atlanta. — Trip 
to  McMinnville,  Tenn. — Not  a  Stranger,  though  in  a  Strange 
Land. 

ID  the  meantime  I  had  settled  up  our  business  in 
Kentucky,  sent  our  library,  etc.,  to  Bro.  R.  M.  Bishop, 
to  take  care  of  for  us  until  the  war  should  close.  I  was 
now  ready  to  go  South  to  join  the  Doctor.  I  left  Lex- 
ington December  4th,  expecting  to  reach  Knoxville  about 
the  time  he  did,  where  we  anticipated  meeting. 

When  I  reached  Louisville,  I  thought  I  should  be 
detained  but  an  hour  or  two,  and  could  proceed  on  my 
way ;  but  the  best  laid  schemes  gang  aft  a-gley.  So  it  was 
with  mine.  I  was  informed  that  the  G.  A.  R.  were  pre- 
paring for  a  battle  soon,  and  that  the  lines  were  closed 
against  all  travel.  I  turned  my  course  at  once  to  Wash- 
ington. I  took  the  train  that  night  for  Indianapolis,  from 
there  to  Columbus,  Pittsburg,  Harrisburg,  Baltimore  and 
Washington.  Dr.  Hopson  had  advised  this  route  as  safest 
and  best ;  but  it  was  such  a  long  route  I  dreaded  it.  He 
said  if  I  went  to  Washington  I  must  call  on  Hon.  John 
G.  Critteuden  and  Congressman  Phelps,  who,  when  I 
told  them  who  I  was,  would  assist  me  any  way  they 
could.  I  followed  his  directions  as  far  as  I  could.  Con- 

119 


120  LIFE   OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

gressman  Phelps  was  absent  from  the  city,  but  I  found 
Mr.  Crittenden  and  wife  at  home.  She  came  in  first, 
and  1  introduced  myself  to  her.  She  remembered  Dr. 
Hopson  well  as  a  school  boy  with  her  younger  brothers, 
and  intimate  at  her  house  as  a  brother.  When  Mr.  C. 
came  in  and  learned  who  I  was,  I  needed  no  pleader  to 
enlist  his  sympathy.  He  at  once  got  into  the  carriage 
with  me  and  drove  to  Judge  Turner's  oflice.  He  tried 
to  prepare  me  for  a  disappointment.  He  said  he  had 
tried  a  few  days  before  to  procure  a  pass  for  his  sister  to 
cross  the  lines,  but  failed;  but  he  was  willing  to  risk  re- 
fusal again  for  my  sake,  so  that  I  might  know  it  was  not 
his  fault  if  I  should  be  refused. 

Judge  Turner  received  us  very  kindly,  but  said  no 
one  would  be  permitted  to  pass  through  the  lines  until 
after  the  pending  battles  were  over  in  Tennessee  and  on 
the  Potomac ;  he  would  enter  my  name  with  the  three  or 
four  hundred  others,  and  I  could  return  home  and  would 
be  notified  when  I  would  be  permitted  to  go  South,  if  at 
all.  I  felt  that  I  could  hardly  bear  it.  I  had  never 
dreamed  of  failure,  and  my  heart  sank  at  the  thought  of 
the  weeks  of  torture  and  suspense  that  must  pass  before 
I  could  know  even  that  I  should  be  permitted  to  join  the 
Doctor  in  the  South. 

It  seemed  to  me  I  never  could  turn  back  and  relin- 
quish my  journey.  Mr.  Crittenden  saw  how  crushed  I 
was,  and  insisted  on  my  returning  to  his  home  and  re- 
maining a  few  days  until  I  felt  better  able  to  bear  my 
disappointment.  I  preferred  to  return  at  once.  I  left 
on  the  evening  train,  which  stopped  in  Baltimore,  where 
I  was  compelled  to  remain  over  Lord's  day.  I  was  ad- 
vised to  go  to  the  Fountain  House  as  a  quiet  hotel,  where 
I  arrived  at  8  that  night.  I  felt  very  lonely  and 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  121 

•desolate  in  that  city,  with  not  a  living  soul  in  it  that  I 
ever  saw  before. 

When  I  arose  Sunday  morning  I  was  really  ill,  but 
determined  I  would  go  to  church.  I  felt  I  could  never 
live  through  the  day  in  that  hotel  among  total  strangers. 
No  one  connected  with  the  house  could  tell  me  where  the 
Christian  Church  was,  but  I  started  out  determined  to 
find  it.  I  walk«d  a  long,  long  way,  inquiring  every  few 
squares  for  the  church.  At  last  a  policeman  directed  me 
to  it.  I  had  managed  to  work  my  way  within  four 
squares  of  it. — Just  one  word  here.  It  would  be  a  great 
help  to  strangers  visiting  any  city  if  every  church  would 
have  its  building  photographed,  with  street,  number, 
and  name  of  preacher  added,  and  hung  in  every  hotel 
in  the  city,  and  depots  too.  I  never  realized  the  im- 
portance of  it  before. 

When  I  reached  the  church  it  was  still  early.  The 
sexton  invited  me  down  into  the  Sunday-school  room, 
where  the  large  school  was  assembled.  I  took  a  seat  far 
back,  not  wishing  to  interrupt  the  exercises.  I  was  hardly 
seated,  however,  before  sister  Benson  came  up  to  me  and 
asked  me  if  I  was  a  stranger  in  the  city,  and  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  Christ;  where  I  was  trom,  and  what  my 
name  was.  It  was  all  done  so  quietly  and  unobtrusively, 
I  felt  no  embarrassment  in  giving  the  desired  information. 

As  soon  as  the  school  closed  I  was  surrounded  by  the 
brethren  and  sisters,  and  soon  felt  that  I  was  in  my 
Father's  house,  and  no  longer  alone  in  that  great  city ; 
and  I  resolved  that,  no  matter  where  my  lot  should  be 
cast  in  the  future,  no  stranger  should  every  enter  the 
Sunday-school  or  church  and  not  find  one  heart  to  bid 
them  welcome. 

Sister  B.  asked  me  where  I  was  staying.     I  told  her, 


122  LKFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

and  one  of  the  brethren  said  I  must  leave  and  go  to 
"Barmim's  Hotel";  Sister  McLaughlin,  the  wife  of  the 
proprietor,  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and 
I  would  be  made  at  home  there.  Bro.  M.  got  a  carriage 
and  went  with  me  to  the  Fountain  House,  got  my  bag- 
gage and  drove  to  Barnum's,  where  Sister  Me.  received 

0  o  f 

me  most  cordially.  I  have  often  thought  what  great 
matters  hang  upon  a  single  act  of  our  lives.  I  believe 
very  few  persons  feeling  as  badly  as  I  did  that  Lord's 
day  morning,  would  have  gone  out  to  church  that  bitter 
cold  December  day,  but  I  feel  sure  that  if  I  had  not  I 
should  not  have  lived  to  write  this  story.  Monday  morn- 
ing I  was  too  ill  to  go  to  breakfast. 

I  do  not  remember  feeling  warm  from  the  time  I  left 
Washington  until  Monday  night  at  "Barnum's."  The 
following  three  weeks  were  passed  in  a  half  unconscious 
state.  I  only  know  that  I  was  very  ill.  Dr.  Hammond, 
my  physician,  said  it  was  low  nervous  fever,  brought 
about  by  reaction  from  long-continued  excitement,  and 
loss  of  hope. 

Such  kindness  and  gentle  care  as  I  had  bestowed  up- 
on me  !  Everybody  was  good  to  me,  from  the  least  to  the 
greatest.  It  was  wonderful  to  me  that  people  could  take 
such  an  interest  in  a  stranger.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks, 

1  could  sit  up  long  enough  to  have  my  bed  made,  but 
unable  to  do  more.    Sister  Me.  gave  me  a  room  opposite 
hers,  and  came  in  herself  many  times  a  day  to  see  if  I 
wished  anything.    My  heart  overflows  with  gratitude  to- 
day toward  those  dear,  kind  people  of  Baltimore,  and  I 
feel  that  I  am  bettor  for  having  known  them.      Had  I 
not  gone  to  church  that  day,  I  should  have  been  ill  at 
the  other  hotel — and  should  have  probably  died  among 
strangers.      The  proprietor's  family  did  not  even  live  in 


LIFE   OP   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  123 

the  house ;  hut  a  housekeeper  and  servants  had  charge  of 
the  business.  Seven  long,  weary  weeks  went  by,  and 
still  I  was  not  able  to  travel  back  to  Kentucky.  It  was 
two  mouths  since  I  had  heard  from  Dr.  H.  Sometimes 
I  felt  that  I  should  never  see  him  again. 

There  were  about  twenty  ladies  waiting  at  the  hotel, 
besides  myself.  On  the  6th  of  January  we  were  notified 
that  we  would  be  permitted  to  leave  on  the  flag  of  truce 
boat,  on  Wednesday  the  9th.  We  left  for  Washington 
the  evening  of  the  8th.  Early  the  next  morning  we  re- 
ported on  the  boat,  and  found  we  were  about  400  ladies 
and  375  children.  After  we  and  our  baggage  were 
searched,  which  took  far  into  the  night,  we  were  allowed 
to  rest.  We  left  the  city  at  3  o'clock,  and  had  hard  work 
to  realize  that  we  were  really  on  our  way  to  Dixie.  We 
arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe  the  ensuing  day,  and  lay  in 
the  harbor  until  Friday  noon,  when  we  steamed  up  the 
James  River  to  City  Point.  We  reached  there  just  be- 
fore dinner.  At  4  o'clock  p.  M.  Judge  Olds,  Commissioner 
of  Exchange,  came  down  from  Richmond  with  prisoners 
for  exchange,  and  we  were  allowed  to  disembark  and 
meet  our  friends.  A  number  had  been  notified  of  the 
coming  of  the  boat,  and  were  ready  to  greet  friends  and 
relatives,  while  many  of  us  would  have  weary  days  of 
search  for  our  loved  ones.  At  10  P.  M.  we  crossed  the 
bridge  in  Richmond,  and  were  fortunate  (our  party,  at 
least)  in  securing  rooms  at  a  hotel,  while  more  than  half 
the  women  and  children  were  compelled  to  remain  on  the 
cars  all  night,  every  hotel  was  so  crowded. 

Richmond  was  full  of  refugees  from  all  that  portion 
of  the  State  north  of  the  Rappahannock,  and  many  from 
Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Missouri  as  well.  As  soon  as 
practicable,  I  started  out  Saturday  morning  to  see  if  I 


124  LIFE    OF    DK.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

could  find  an  acquaintance  among  the  multitude  throng- 
ing the  streets.  I  spent  nearly  the  whole  day  searching, 
and  was  rewarded  by  meeting  a  number  of  old  friends, 
but  none  who  had  met  Dr.  H.  since  he  had  been  sent 
South. 

Upon  making  inquiries  for  our  church,  I  learned  that 
Bro.  W.  J.  Pettigrevv  was  preaching  for  our  brethren  in 
the  city.  I  had  made  his  acquaintance  some  years  before, 
and  thought  in  all  probability  he  could  give  me  some  in- 
formation in  regard  to  the  Doctor.  I  sent  him  a  note, 
and  he  came  at  once  to  the  hotel  and  insisted  that  I  should 
make  his  house  my  home  while  in  the  city.  I  accepted 
his  invitation,  and  he  and  his  most  excellent  wife  made 
my  stay  very  pleasant.  I  visited  the  hotels  every  day  in 
hopes  of  gaining  some  news  from  my  husband ;  at  last  I 
was  rewarded.  While  talking  in  the  parlor  of  the  Amer- 
ican House  about  the  Doctor  with  one  of  the  ladies  I 
met  on  the  exchange  boat,  a»  old  gentleman  lying  on  a 
sofa  in  the  room  started  up  and  began  to  ask  me  questions 
about  the  Doctor,  and  said  that  if  he  was  not  mistaken  the 
gentleman  I  wanted  was  holding  a  meeting  in  Atlanta, 
Ga ;  he  himself  was  the  family  physician  of  Elder  C. 
K.  Marshall,  Sen.,  who  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  that 
place  ;  and  that  Bro.  Marshall  had  insisted  on  his  return- 
ing in  time  to  attend  the  meeting.  I  telegraphed  at 
once,  and  the  next  day  received  response,  "  Meet  me  in 
Augusta,  Ga. "  The  telegram  came  Saturday  evening. 
I  would  not  travel  on  Sunday,  and  had  to  delay  starting 
until  Monday  morning  at  1  A.  M.  I  reached  Augusta 
Wednesday  night  at  8. 

There  were  six  ladies  of  us  husband-hunting,  literally, 
so  that  we  were  not  lonely  on  the  route.  Sometimes  we 
were  riding  in  good  cars,  sometimes  with  no  backs  to  the 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPS<»N.  125 

seats,  the  aisles  crowded  with  soldiers  resting  on  their 
knapsacks,  and  sometimes  sitting  for  two  or  three  hours 
in  open  shed  depots,  on  our  baggage,  waiting  for  a  tiain. 
We  met  nothing  but  kindness  from  the  railroad  officials, 
and,  indeed,  from  everybody  we  came  in  contact  with  on 
our  trip. 

Dr.  H.  met  me  at  the  depot.  We  were  very  glad 
and  grateful  to  our  heavenly  Father  that  we  had  been 
preserved  through  many  dangers  to  meet  again  in  health. 
After  a  day  or  two  of  rest  in  Augusta,  we  left  for  Atlanta, 
where  the  Doctor  resumed  his  meeting  and  remained  over 
Lord's  day.  He  thought  it  best  to  return  to  his  command 
the  following  week,  and  we  started  for  McMinnville 
Tuesday  morning.  The  last  two  days  of  our  trip  was 
made  in  a  sutler's  wagon,  belonging  to  Dr.  Foster,  who 
had  been  left  ill  from  blood  poisoning  at  the  hospital. 
Dr.  Hopson  remarked  when  we  started :  "  Now, 
Ella,  for  the  first  time  in  years  I  can  travel  all  day, 
meeting  hundreds  and  knowing  no  one."  We  were 
not  more  than  a  mile  from  Manchester  before  half  a  dozen 
gentlemen  we  were  meeting  called  the  Doctor's  name.  He 
told  them  they  had  the  advantage  of  him — they  knew 
him,  but  he  did  not  know  them.  All  said  they  were  in 
prison  with  him — some  at  Louisville,  some  at  Camp 
Morton,  and  some  at  Johnson's  Island.  They  did  not 
expect  him  to  recognize  them ;  but  they  had  all  heard  him 
preach,  and  congratulated  him  on  his  release.  I  am  safe 
in  saying  that  wefhet  more  than  a  hundred  men  that  day 
who  knew  the  Doctor. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Hospitality.  —  Arrival  at  McMinnville.  —  Preaching.  —  Lite  in 
Camp. — R.  M.  Gano  and  Brothers. — I  go  to  Knoxville. — 
Evacuation  of  McMinnville. — Dr.  Hopson  Resigns. — We  go 
to  Richmond. — Meeting  in  Richmond. — Located  at  Bowling 
Green.— Holly  Hill.— C.  P.  Williamson.— Life  at  Bowling 
Green. — Housekeeping. — Cost  of  Domestic  Articles. — Ex- 
penses, $20  a  Day  ;  Income,  $2,000  a  Year. — Old  Mansion. 

.  e  had  a  very  cold,  disagreeable  ride  that  day. 
From  a  light  fall  of  snow  in  the  morning,  it  had  in- 
creased to  a  cold,  driving  rain  by  night;  and  it  was  eight 
o'clock  before  we  could  find  any  one  hospitable  enough 
to  open  their  doors  to  strangers.  A  kind-hearted  young 
couple,  by  the  name  of  Denton — I  think  it  was — took 
pity  on  us,  and  let  us  stay  all  night.  There  were  three 
of  us  besides  the  driver,  and  it  was  quite  a  tax  on  any 
one  to  entertain  all — which  only  made  us  the  more 
grateful  to  our  host  and  hostess.  I  realized  what  a  sad 
cry  was  wrung  from  the  Saviour's  heart  when  he  said, 
"  The  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head." 

We  had  passed  many  large  and  pretentious  houses, 
and  asked  for  shelter  from  the  storm  in  vain;  but  these 
young  beginners  were  the  only  ones  of  whom  it  could  be 
said,  "I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in."  My 
prayer  has  always  been  that  God  would  prosper  them  as 
they  deserved. 

The  next  morning  the  lady  had  our  breakfast  ready 
by  the  time  we  were  up,  and  insisted  on  our  taking 
a  lunch  with  us,  fearing  we  should  get  hungry  before  we 

126 


LIFE   OF    I>K.   \\.    H.    HOI-SON.  127 

reached  our  destination.     Mr.  Denton  refused  all  but  a 
pitiful  sum  for  our  entertainment. 

We  reached  McMinnville  at  3  P.  M.,  and  went  at 
once  to  Bro.  J.  L.  Waiting's,  where  for  weeks  we  had  a 
pleasant  home. 

Dr.  Hopson  preached  every  Lord's  day  in  our  own 
church  at  McMinnville,  and  often  during  the  week  would 
go  out  to  the  camps  around  the  country,  and  preach  to  the 
soldiers.  When  in  town,  he  visited  the  hospital  daily, 
where  the  sick  and  wounded  were  always  glad  to  see 
him. 

Neither  Gen.  Morgan  nor  his  command  had  much 
time  to  devote  to  religion  or  religious  duties.  When  at 
home  he  was  always  at  church,  and  had  the  greatest  re- 
spect for  a  Christian  man  and  his  principles ;  and  nearly 
all  of  his  officers  usually  attended. 

Dr.  Hodgson,  Gen.  Wheeler's  Chaplain,  held  services 
in  our  church  in  the  afternoon,  which  gave  all  who  were 
Episcopalians  the  opportunity  to  enjoy  their  own  ex- 
ercises. 

During  February  and  March  there  was  not  much 
severe  fighting,  but  constant  skirmishing  all  along  the 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  Morgan  was  picketing.  Almost 
every  day  Mrs.  Morgan  would  send  for  me  to  come  over 
to  see  her,  as  she  was  afraid  to  leave  headquarters  her- 
self. I  would  ask  her  where  Gen.  Morgan  was.  She 
never  could  tell.  She  would  say  he  left  for  such  a  place 
last  night,  but  may  be  fifty  miles  from  there  now.  We 
never  knew  where  he  was,  nor  how  many  men  he  had 
under  his  orders. 

The  2nd  of  April,  Gen.  Dick  Gano,  on  account  of  ill- 
health,  determined  to  return  to  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Department.  It  was  a  source  of  deep  sorrow  to  the 


128  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Doctor,  who  loved  him  very  much,  and  disliked  to  lose 
him  and  his  influence  for  good. 

He  and  his  two  brothers,  Frank  and  John,  spent  the 
night  before  they  left  with  us.  We  sat  up  till  a  late  hourr 
and  talked  of  the  past,  with  its  pleasures ;  the  present, 
with  its  trials ;  and  the  future,  with  its  uncertainties. 

They  retired  about  eleven  o'clock.  The  Doctor  and 
I  still  sat  by  the  fire,  and  talked  some  time.  Just  before 
we  laid  down,  the  Doctor  said,  "  Let  us  look  on  the 
boys  once  more."  We  crossed  the  hall,  and  looked  into 
the  room  where  they  lay  sleeping.  They  were  all  three 
stretched  out  on  the  floor,  with  a  blanket  for  a  bed  and 
a  knapsack  for  a  pillow.  We  turned  sadly  away,  think- 
ing of  the  dear  mother  and  father  in  the  "  Old  Kentucky 
Home"  who  were  praying  for  these  loved  ones,  and 
asked  God  to  spare  them  all  to  return  safely  to  their 
homes. 

We  lay  down  without  undressing,  as  we  did  for 
many  nights  following.  We  did  not  know  at  what  mo- 
ment the  pickets  might  be  driven  in,  and  the  few  per- 
sons belonging  to  the  army  be  compelled  to  fly  from  the 
place. 

In  a  few  days  Mrs.  Alex.  Morgan,  of  Knoxville,  came 
to  attend  upon  and  nurse  her  brother,  Thomas  Russel, 
who  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Snow  Hill. 

Dr.  Hopson  thought  I  had  better  return  to  Knox- 
ville with  Captain  Morga»,  and  remain  with  Miss  Laura 
Russel  during  her  sister's  absence.  He  was  afraid  that 
my  presence  would  embarrass  him  in  case  of  having  to 
run  away.  I  assented,  and  went  to  Knoxville,  about  the 
6th  or  8th  of  April.  I  think  the  19th  or  20th  Gen. 
Morgan  had  to  leave  McMinnville. 

The  Doctor  said  he  saw  an  unusual  commotion  over 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  129 

at  headquarters,  a  hundred  yards  away.  He  always  kept 
his  horse  near  him ;  he  threw  his  saddle  on  him,  and  se- 
cured his  baggage,  mounted,  and  rode  over.  He  asked 
Gen.  Morgan  what  was  up.  Gen.  Morgan  said, ."Look 
yonder !"  and  about  a  mile  away  a  long  column  of  Fed- 
erals were  coming  towards  town.  The  Doctor  asked 
him  which  way  to  go.  He  pointed  to  the  Sparta  road, 
out  which  his  ambulances  containing  the  sick  and 
wounded,  and  his  telegraph  operator,  and  Mrs.  Morgan 
and  sister,  were  flying.  The  Doctor  was  soon  following 
as  rapidly  as  his  horse  could  carry  him.  Morgan  and 
his  men  were  close  enough  behind  for  him  to  hear  the 
whizzing  of  the  balls  sent  after  them.  He  said  he  felt 
more  and  more  convinced  that  non-combatants  had  no 
business  in  a  fight.  They  all  got  off  safely  but  two  of 
the  officers. 

During  the  winter  months  Gen.  Morgan  had  been 
acting  on  the  defensive.  In  the  spring  he  made  prepa- 
rations to  commence  active  operations.  As  soon  as  the 
Doctor  was  assured  of  the  fact,  he  determined  to  resign 
his  position  and  join  me  in  Knoxville,  and  proceed  to 
Richmond  and  devote  his  time  to  evangelizing  in 
Virginia. 

He  resigned  the  1st  of  May.  Gen.  Morgan  insisted 
on  his  retaining  the  office  and  receiving  his  pay,  even  if  he 
did  not  wish  to  remain  with  the  command.  The  Doctor 
declined.  He  said  he  had  been  appointed  to  the  chap- 
laincy without  his  consent ;  had  reported,  did  his  duty 
faithfully,  and  felt  that  he  could  retire  honorably. 

He  came  at  once  to  Knoxville,  and  from  there  we 
went  to  Richmond,  arriving  about  the  middle  of  May. 
The  Doctor  held  a  two  weeks'  meeting  for  Bro.  Petti- 
grew.  We  found  a  very  cordial  welcome,  not  only  from 


130  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

him  and  his  good  wife,  but  from  all  the  brethren  and 
sisters. 

The  Doctor  had  the  pleasure  of  greeting  many  of  his 
old  friends  from  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  Their  influ- 
ence, added  to  that  of  the  brethren,  gave  him  a  crowded 
house  to  preach  to  during  his  stay  in  the  city. 

An  old  gentleman,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  heard  him  frequently.  After  a  sermon  iii  which 
he  assailed  infant  baptism  as  unscriptural,  some  one 
asked  the  gentleman  what  he  thought  of  the  sermon. 
"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  the  Doctor  proved  that  it  was  not  au- 
thorized by  the  Bible  ;  but  it  is  an  old  Virginia  custom, 
and  he  need  not  think  we  are  going  to  give  it  up." 
Often  hundreds  of  persons  were  turned  away  from  the 
church,  unable  to  find  standing-room  even  in  the  galler- 
ies. One  gentleman  had  been  disappointed  several 
times,  and  at  length  told  his  wife  that  he  would  not 
come  home  to  supper,  but  she  must  fix  him  a  lunch  in- 
stead, and  he  would  be  at  the  church  in  time  to  get  in. 
When  the  sexton  went  to  unlock  the  door  to  light  up  the 
house,  the  gentleman  was  sitting  on  the  steps,  and 
walked  in  and  got  a  seat  in  time. 

During  the  meeting  Sister  Pichegru  Woolfolk  came 
down  to  Richmond  on  a  visit,  though  Bro.  Pettigrew 
said  she  had  smelled  a  protracted  meeting.  He  said  she 
was  never  so  happy  as  when  in  a  protracted  meeting,  and 
when  she  got  to  heaven  the  first  thing  she  would  want  to 
know  would  be  when  they  were  going  to  begin  one. 
She  remained  through  the  meeting  and  returned  to 
Bowling  Green,  her  home,  and  the  next  week  the  Doctor 
received  a  call  to  come  up  and  make  his  home  among  the 
brethren  there. 

The  Doctor  was  delighted  to  leave  the  great  city  and 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  131 

the  crowd  and  the  bustle,  the  noise  and  confusion  of 
tramping  hosts,  and  escape  to  the  quiet  country.  Sister 
Woolfolk  took  us  to  her  own  home.  Dear  old  Holly 
Hill,  "  when  I  forget  thee,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning."  After  the  tossings  and  tortures  of  the  last 
year,  what  a  sweet,  peaceful  asylum  it  seemed.  Our 
family  circle  consisted  of  Sisters  Pichegru  Woolfolk, 
senior  and  junior;  Sister  Williamson,  and  Charlie  and 
Gay,  her  two  children,  daughter  and  grandchildren  of 
Sister  Woolfolk  ;  Sister  Wm.  Woolfolk,  Mrs.  Gen.  Alex- 
ander, whose  husband  was  Chief  of  Artillery  in  the  Con- 
federate Army,  and  her  little  daughter,  Bessie;  Dr. 
Hopson  and  myself.  He  and  Master  Charlie  William- 
son were  our  bodyguard  and  the  only  male  members  of 
the  family  at  home.  Sister  Woolfolk  had  five  sons  in 
the  army.  Occasionally  our  home  was  enlivened  with  a 
visit  from  one  or  the  other  of  the  boys,  but  their  stay 
was  brief  Charlie  was  our  errand  boy,  our  mail  carrier, 
our  driver,  if  necessary.  It  was  never  too  cold  or  too 
hot,  too  wet  or  too  dry,  too  sunny  or  too  cloudy,  for  him 
to  do  our  behests.  He  was  always  courteous  and  polite, 
a  special  favorite  with  the  Doctor.  He  was  remarkably 
well  informed  for  his  age — only  fourteen — and  a  great 
reader.  His  mother  and  grandmother  were  both  very 
intellectual  and  cultured  women.  I  feel  this  much  is 
due  to  the  boy,  who,  left  fatherless  at  an  early  age,  and 
by  the  misfortunes  of  others  stripped  of  the  little  he 
might  have  possessed,  has,  by  his  own  exertions,  raised 
himself  to  an  enviable  position  as  President  of  a  flour- 
ishing Female  College,  and  associate  editor  of  a  popular 
religious  paper.  C.  P.  Williamson,  of  the  Apostolic 
Guide,  is  widely  and  favorably  known  to  our  brethren. 
He  came  to  Kentucky  some  time  in  1872  or  1873,  to 


132  LIFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

attend  the  University  at  Lexington.  He  made  us  a  visit 
as  he  was  on  his  return  to  Virginia.  We  were  then  liv- 
ing in  Louisville.  His  friends  in  Virginia  were  urging 
him  to  adopt  the  law  as  a  profession.  Dr.  Hopson  in- 
sisted upon  his  returning  to  Kentucky  University  and 
studying  with  a  view  to  the  ministry.  Before  he  left  us 
he  had  almost  decided  to  accept  the  Doctor's  advice, 
which  he  did  subsequently. 

For  many  months  the  Doctor  had  been  deprived  of 
studying.  When  at  McMinnville  we  had  no  light  at 
night  by  which  to  read,  except  fire  light,  as  candles  and 
lamps  were  a  great  luxury.  Now  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  we  would  see  him  with  his  book  and  chair, 
hunting  the  shade,  where  he  would  read  until  breakfast, 
after  which  he  would  return  to  his  perch  for  the  day.  I 
never  knew  him  to  enjoy  himself  more  than  he  did  those 
few  months  of  comparative  rest  at  Holly  Hill.  Every 
Sunday  morning  the  old  family  coach  was  brought  out 
and  filled  with  church-goers,  off  for  Bowling  Green,  one 
and  a  half  miles  away,  where  the  preacher  was  listened 
to  by  an  unusually  cultivated  and  intelligent  audience. 
The  Maurys,  Woolfolks,  Dejarnetts,  Tylers,  Whites, 
Tunstalls,  Ropers,  Parishes,  Hudgins,  and  others,  made 
up  a  community  rarely  excelled. 

We  were  forty  miles  from  Richmond  and  twenty 
from  Fredericksburg,  on  the  mainline  of  travel  between 
the  two  places ;  and  while  hundreds  of  troops  were  pass- 
ing and  repassing,  we  seldom  saw  any  soldiers,  they 
usually  going  up  on  the  railroad  a  hundred  yards  back 
of  Holly  Hill. 

We  remained  at  Sister  Woolfolk's  until  October. 
When  the  roads  became  bad  and  the  weather  disagree- 
able we  moved  into  Bowling  Green,  so  as  to  be  near  the 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  133 

church.  The  Doctor  held  two  meetings  while  at  Holly 
Hill — one  near  Guinea's  Depot,  where  we  were  the 
guests  of  Bro.  Chandler  and  wife,  at  whose  house  Stone- 
wall Jackson  died,  and  one  in  King  and  Queen  county. 
He  had  twelve  or  fourteen  additions  at  the  former  and 
twenty-five  at  the  latter.  He  was  in  receipt  of  a  salary 
of  two  thousand  dollars  from  the  church,  and  the  Doctor 
rented  a  cottage  in  Bowling  Green  and  we  went  to  house- 
keeping on  that  sum.  Sister  Jourdan  Woolfolk  loaned 
us  a  bed,  bedstead,  some  blankets  and  a  comfort ;  Sisters 
Roper  and  White  some  sheets;  another  sister  let  us  have 
a  dutch  oven  and  skillet.  Among  the  rest  we  raised  a 
few  dishes,  knives,  forks,  etc.  Silverware  had  almost 
disappeared  from  this  part  of  the  country,  having  been 
sent  where  it  would  not  be  liable  to  lead  any  one  into 
temptation. 

No  two  young  people  ever  enjoyed  going  to  house- 
keeping more  than  we  did.  There  was  'no  market  to  go 
to,  but  somehow  our  larder  was  well  supplied.  Bro.  J. 
H.  Dejarnett  made  us  a  present  of  a  barrel  of  flour 
which  cost  him  two  hundred  dollars.  Bro.  John  White 
sent  us  a  bushel  of  meal  worth  two  or  three  dollars. 
Bro.  Daniel  Dejarnett  and  Robert  sent  us  some  nice  hams 
and  breakfast  bacon.  Two  or  three  sisters  sent  me  some 
chickens  worth  two  dollars  each ;  and  every  Sunday 
morning,  when  Sister  Jourdan  Woolfolk  came  in  to 
church,  she  would  bring  me  two  or  three  pounds  of 
sweet,  golden  butter,  worth  eight  dollars  a  pound. 
Every  time  a  beef  was  killed,  or  a  mutton,  some  of  it 
would  always  find  its  way  to  our  house.  We  were  well 
supplied  with  vegetables,  including  the  delicious  yam, 
which  never  tasted  as  good  to  me  anywhere  else.  Dr. 
Roper  furnished  us  with  all  the  wood  we  needed ;  and, 


134  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

to  cap  the  climax  of  our  bliss,  Bro.  Wm.  S.  Rogers,  an 
old  Kentucky  friend,  gave  us  twenty  pounds  of  genuine 
coffee  and  twenty-five  pounds  of  white  sugar.  Coffee 
was  then  worth  $20  a  pound  and  sugar  $16.  We  were 
fifteen  miles  from  Port  Royal,  from  which  place  loads  of 
oysters  and  fresh  shad  and  bass  were  brought  every  day. 
Oysters  were  from  $10  to  $12  a  gallon.  When  we  could 
keep  them  frozen,  as  we  often  could,  a  gallon  would  last 
us  a  week.  Fish  was  the  cheapest  dish  we  could  have, 
and  we  enjoyed  the  fresh  shad  at  two  dollars  a  pair.  We 
were  not  forgotten  at  Holly  Hill.  Sister  Pichegru 
Woolfolk  rarely  ever  came  to  Bowling  Green  that,  hid 
away  somewhere  in  the  old  coach,  there  was  not  a  pound 
of  butter  or  a  bottle  of  cream  or  a  dozen  eggs  for  the 
Doctor. 

By  this  description  you  can  see  how  a  preacher  could 
live  off  a  $2,000  salary  in  Confederate  money.  We  were 
never  forgotten  at  the  old  mansion,  by  Sister  White.  A 
nice  loaf  of  bread,  a  roast  of  beef,  a  nice  piece  of  tripe, 
a  few  eggs,  a  jug  of  cream,  were  always  finding  their 
way  to  our  table. 

We  kept  no  servant.  I  did  our  cooking,  with  the 
Doctor's  help.  For  our  breakfast  we  would  have  a  nice 
dish  of  brown  toast,  a  johnnycake  baked  on  a  board,  a 
good  cup  of  coffee,  and  fish  or  oysters  broiled  on  the 
coals.  We  would  draw  our  little  table  up  to  the  fire  be- 
tween us,  and  I  would  tend  the  johnnycake  to  see  when 
it  needed  turning,  toast  the  bread  and  butter  it,  and  the 
Doctor  would  lay  the  oysters  in  the  shell  on  the  hot  coals, 
knowing  just  when  to  take  them  off,  and  how  large  a 
piece  of  butter  and  how  much  salt  and  pepper  was  needed 
to  add  to  the  delicate  morsel.  Does  any  one  wonder  that 
we  were  happy  ?  I  never  knew  the  Doctor  to  enjoy 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  135 

home  as  much.  There  was  but  one  drawback  to  our 
hapjdness :  we  could  not  hear  from  Sadie  or  mother,  but 
we  tried  to  feel  that  all  would  be  well. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Gen.  Wade  Hampton. — His  Request. — His  Gratification. — Christ- 
mas Dinner  for  Gen.  Lee. — Preparations  to  Remain  in  Bowl- 
ing Green. — Battles  of  May  5,  6  and  8. — Wounded  Soldiers. — 
The  Retreat. — Beating  Lee  to  Richmond. 

Early  in  the  winter  of  1863-'64,  Gen.  Wade  Hamp- 
ton and  his  whole  command  pitched  their  tents  within 
half  a  mile  of  Bowling  Green.  This,  of  course,  dis- 
turbed the  quiet  of  our  little  town ;  but  still  the  troops 
were  well  disciplined,  and  gave  no  trouble. 

Dr.  Hopson  preached  in  the  church  on  Sunday,  and 
would  go  out  and  preach  to  the  soldiers  during  the 
week,  at  the  earnest  invitation  of  their  Chaplain.  Gen. 
Hampton  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Friend,  the  minister  of  that  church,  came  up  from  Port 
Royal  twice  a  month,  to  hold  services  in  the  church  at 
Bowling  Green.  When  he  was  absent,  Gen.  Hampton 
and  some  of  his  staff,  and  the  soldiers,  came  to  our 
church.  After  he  had  heard  the  Doctor  a  number  of 
times,  he  said  to  him  one  day,  "  Dr.  Hopson,  I  never 
heard  of  you  people  before  I  came  here.  I  see  that 
nearly  everybody  around  here  belongs  to  your  church.  I 
would  really  like  to  know  what  you  teach.  I  wish  you 
would  preach  a  sermon  embodying  your  principles  as  a 
people."  The  Doctor  told  him  that  the  first  time  he  saw 
him  at  church  he  would  do  so.  He  was  present  the  fol- 
lowing Lord's  day,  and  the  church  was  crowded  with 
officers  and  soldiers,  who  had  got  wind  of  the  matter. 

.136 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  137 

The  Doctor  spoke  nearly  two  hours.  I  never  saw  a 
more  patient  and  attentive  audience.  The  Doctor  dis- 
missed the  people  before  he  attended  to  the  Supper. 
Many  remained  and  partook  with  us,  among  them  Gen. 
Hampton.  After  services  were  over,  he  shook  hands 
with  the  Doctor,  thanking  him  for  the  sermon,  and  said, 
"  I  can  see  nothing  to  object  to.  I  wish  I  had  heard 
these  things  earlier  in  life,  when  I  had  time  to  investi- 
gate and  think  about  them  ;  but  now  I  have  no  time  for 
anything  but  this  serious  business  of  war,  war." 

The  1st  of  December  the  Doctor  insisted  that  I 
should  go  down  to  Richmond,  and  buy  a  stove,  carpet, 
dishes,  spoons,  etc.,  and  so  be  able  to  return  our  borrowed 
ones.  These  things  were  becoming  very  scarce  through- 
out the  country.  He  gave  me  $1,500,  and  would  have 
given  me  much  more,  but  I  was  afraid  I  would  be 
robbed  ;  and  I  went  down  to  the  city.  My  first  invest- 
ment was  a  stove.  I  could  only  get  a  second-hand  one, 
it  had  not  been  used  very  much ;  for  that  I  paid  $200. 
My  carpet  (ingrain)  cost  $250 ;  a  soup  tureen,  $35 ;  half 
a  dozen  steel  knives  and  forks,  $54 ;  half  a  dozen  cups 
and  saucers,  $50 ;  half  a  dozen  breakfast  plates,  $60 ; 
twelve  yards  Hi  sheeting,  $132;  nutmeg  grater,  $1 ; 
butcher  knife,  $2 ;  hatchet,  $5 ;  two  second-hand  table- 
cloths, $80 ;  a  pound  of  soda,  $3  ;  one  pound  of  tea,  $8 ; 
half  a  dozen  plated  spoons,  $36 ;  a  wash  bowl  and 
pitcher,  $10  ;  water  bucket,  $3 ;  an  ounce  of  ground 
pepper,  50  cents.  A  few  minor  purchases,  and  a  thou- 
sand dollars  had  been  spent.  I  began  to  fear  I  should 
not  have  enough  money  to  get  home  on. 

When  I  returned  home,  the  Doctor  was  highly 
amused  at  my  shopping  experience,  and  not  at  all  horri- 
fied at  the  amount  of  my  expenditures ;  indeed,  he 


138  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

thought  I  had  made  wonderful  bargains.  The  purchase 
of  bed  and  bedstead  was  simply  impossible.  Fortu- 
nately Sister  Woolfolk  did  not  need  hers,  and  we  were 
content  to  be  the  recipients  of  her  bounty. 

When  Christmas  came,  several  of  the  ladies  in 
Bowling  Green  concluded  they  would  cook  and  send 
Gen.  Lee  his  dinner,  each  one  to  contribute  her  share. 
I  happened  to  be  the  only  one  who  had  genuine  coffee, 
and  it  afforded  me  very  great  pleasure  to  toast  and  grind 
three  or  four  pounds  and  place  it  with  the  other  good 
things — four  fat  turkeys,  dressed  with  plump  oysters, 
baked  fish,  sweet  potatoes,  mince  pies,  pickles,  jellies, 
bread,  and  nice  butter.  Every  article  carried  with  it  a 
blessing  and  a  prayer  for  the  revered  chief.  Col.  Pich- 
egru  Woolfolk,  who  was  on  sick  leave,  took  it  up  to 
Spottsylvania  Court-house,  sixteen  miles,  in  his  buggy. 
The  dinner  almost  filled  a  two-bushel  basket.  He  was 
just  in  time.  Gen.  Lee  and  a  number  of  his  officers  had 
just  sat  down  to  buttermilk,  corn  bread  and  bacon.  With 
the  assistance  of  a  servant,  the  basket  was  deposited  in 
Gen.  Lee's  presence.  He  turned  back  the  »table-cloth 
that  covered  the  tempting  dinner,  and  took  a  brief  in- 
ventory of  the  contents  of  the  basket,  while  the  officers 
were  jubilant  over  their  good  fortune. 

Gen.  Lee  laid  the  cloth  back,  and  said,  "  Send  this 
to  the  hospital."  His  first  thought  was  for  those  who 
were  sick  and  wounded,  and  deprived  of  proper  food 
and  nourishment.  We  felt  it  was  a  noble  act  in  Gen. 
Lee,  but  regretted  he  could  not  have  enjoyed  the  good 
dinner,  too. 

The  winter  passed  quietly.  We  felt  very  safe  with 
Gen.  Lee  and  his  army  on  one  side  of  us  and  Gen. 
Hampton  on  the  other,  but  it  could  not  continue  always 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  139 

so  peaceful.  Spring  came,  and  the  cavalry  was  ordered 
forward.  Preparations  were  being  made  for  a  vigorous 
campaign.  The  Doctor  preached  on,  now  and  then  go- 
ing from  home  to  hold  a  meeting.  We  had  no  apprehen- 
sion that  we  should  have  to  leave  our  quiet  home  for 
months.  The  Doctor  had  our  garden  plowed  and  nicely 
planted.  By  the  first  of  April  the  seeds  had  sent  their 
sprouts  up  through  the  mellow  soil,  and  we  were  luxuri- 
ating in  the  prospect  of  eating  of  the  fruits  of  our  own 
labors.  My  four  hens  had  each  brought  off  a  fine  brood 
of  healthy  chicks,  and  we  were  enjoying  in  anticipation 
the  nice  broils  we  should  have  in  a  few  weeks;  but,  alas! 
it  was  the  oft-told  tale.  We  planted,  but  another  was  to 
reap  the  fruit  of  our  labor. 

The  5th  of  May,  Gen.  Grant,  with  140,000  troops, 
confronted  Gen.  Lee  at  the  Wilderness,  and  the  conflict 
began  in  earnest.  Nearer  and  nearer  marched  the  demon 
of  bloodshed  and  horror.  Car-loads  of  wounded  men 
were  sent  back  to  Milford  Station,  three  miles  from 
Bowling  Green,  and  unloaded  of  their  ghastly  freight, 
and  returned  again  to  the  battlefield.  Ambulances  filled 
the  road  with  their  burdens.  Men  on  foot,  with  ban- 
daged heads,  arms  and  legs,  were  wending  their  weary 
way  to  the  same  destination.  The  ladies  of  the  town 
went  at  once  to  the  depot,  taking  bandages,  lint  and 
nourishing  food  for  the  wounded. 

It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  those  stalwart  men  lying  on 
the  grass,  or  on  the  platform,  some  with  one  leg  off,  some 
with  one  arm  gone,  some  with  terrible  scalp  wounds, 
some  shot  through  the  body  or  shoulder,  a  little  brown 
spot  indicating  where  the  ball  entered  and  where  it  made 
exit.  They  were  trying  to  be  cheerful  and  make  the 
best  of  their  condition.  The  surgeons  were  busy  ex- 


140  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

tracting  bullets  from  some,  and  some  of  those  suffering 
least  from  their  wounds  were  supporting  the  heads  of 
their  comrades  while  the  skillful  surgeon  was  probing 
the  wounds.  I  did  not  know  before  how  tender  and 
compassionate  a  man  could  be.  They  were  as  gentle  as 
a  woman  in  their  ministrations.  I  only  accompanied 
the  ladies  one  day.  It  was  more  than  I  could  bear  ;  the 
sight  of  blood  always  made  me  very  sick.  The  Doctor 
went  down  the  next  two  days.  When  he  came  home 
he  said :  "  Ella,  we  must  leave  here  by  day  after  to- 
morrow. Lee  is  going  to  fall  back  to  Richmond.  I  am 
not  an  alarmist,  but  I  was  at  Murfreesboro  and  know 
the  signs  of  a  retreat."  Capt.  Woolfolk  and  several  oth- 
ers tried  to  laugh  the  Doctor  out  of  his  "  scare,"  as  they 
called  it.  They  assured  him  they  would  get  him  away 
safely  if  such  a  thing  should  happen.  He  persisted,  and 
we  at  once  found  ready  purchasers  for  our  household 
goods,  and  left  for  Richmond  with  a  pocketful  of  Con- 
federate money. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Brief  Stay  in  Richmond. — Amelia  County. — Amelia  Springs. — 
Jetersville. — Paineville. — Kautz  and  Wilson's  Raid. — Flight 
to  Horse  Pasture.— Bro.  D.  H.  Spencer. — Henry  C.  H. 

We  left  Bowling  Green  with  a  very  sad  heart.  We 
had  spent  such  a  peaceful,  happy  time  among  those  peo- 
ple, it  was  hard  to  leave  them  to  go  we  knew  not  where. 
The  last  two  days  and  nights  we  were  there  the  roar  of 
the  artillery  could  be  heard,  and  the  concussion  rattled 
our  windows  all  day  long  and  nearly  all  night.  I  felt  I 
could  bear  it  no  longer.  The  thought  was  terrible  to  me 
that  at  every  volley  hundreds  of  souls  were  sent,  perhaps 
unprepared,  into  the  presence  of  their  Creator.  We  Itft 
Wednesday  evening,  and  Friday  morning  at  sunrise  six 
thousand  Federal  troops  rode  into  the  town. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  in  Richmond  the  Doctor 
walked  out  on  Broadway,  where  the  cars  were  bringing 
in  the  wounded  of  both  armies.  They  were  lying  on 
gravel-cars,  waiting  for  ambulances  to  take  them  to  the 
hospitals.  All  the  length  of  the  train  the  citizens  with 
buckets  of  water  were  giving  the  poor  fellows  drink. 
The  Doctor  secured  a  bucket  and  tin  cup  and  went  to 
the  assistance  of  the  others.  He  noticed  that  but  little 
attention  was  paid  to  the  Boys  in  Blue,  and  immediately 
commenced  giving  them  water  and  pouring  it  on  their 
dried  bandages.  They  seemed  very  grateful.  Some  one 
said  to  him  :  "  Let  them  go.  Let  us  take  care  of  our 
own  first.  They  are  our  enemies."  Dr.  Hopson  said  : 

141 


142  LIFE   OF   DK.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  I  read  in  my  Bible,  '  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  ; 
if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink.'  Let  us  do  good  to  all  as 
they  come." 

We  made  a  very  short  stay  in  Richmond,  the  Doctor 
accepting  the  invitation  of  Dr.  John  Jeter,  of  Amelia 
county,  to  make  him  a  visit  and  remain  with  him  during 
the  coming  summer. 

The  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was  fought  the  week  after 
we  reached  there.  We  felt  we  were  now  safe  from 
further  molestation.  The  Doctor  immediately  made  ap- 
pointments, accepting  the  numerous  invitations  to  hold 
meetings,  and  began  work  as  soon  as  he  was  fairly  settled 
in  our  new  home.  We  were  now  forty  miles  south  of 
Richmond,  near  the  Danville  &  Richmond  R.  R.,  where 
we  were  very  sure  we  should  only  hear  rumors  of  war. 

The  day  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was  fought  was  a 
hot,  sultry  day.  It  seemed  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air 
stirring,  and  I  am  certain  that,  though  such  a  long  dis- 
tance lay  between  us  and  the  battle-ground,  we  heard  the 
cannonading.  It  was  like  the  roll  of  distant  thunder. 
The  result  of  the  battle  of  the  third  of  June  was  made 
very  sad  to  us  by  the  death  of  Clarence,  Sister  Pichegru 
Woolfolk's  youngest  son.  He  was  killed  just  at  the  close 
of  the  battle,  with  a  stray  shot,  as  he  was  resting  for  a 
few  moments  on  a  log.  How  our  hearts  went  out  in 
sympathy  to  that  beloved  family  in  their  first  loss  of  the 
war!  Col.  Pichegru  came  near  dying  from  a  wound 
received  at  Gettysburg,  but  he  was  spared  to  be  killed  in 
the  fall  of  the  capitol  at  Richmond  after  peace  had  spread 
her  wings  over  the  land. 

Again  we  found  our  lot  cast  in  pleasant  places.  Dr. 
Hopson  held  a  number  of  meetings  in  Amelia  county. 
Jetersville,  Paineville  and  Amelia  Springs  were  three 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOI'soN.  143 

points.  When  the  weather  became  very  warm  we  spent 
six  weeks  at  the  Springs,  the  guests  of  Bro.  Sam.  Cot- 
trell  and  wife.  The  Doctor  preached  nearly  every  Sun- 
day there  during  that  time,  and  held  a  protracted  meet- 
ing with  over  thirty  additions;  indeed,  the  whole  sum- 
mer was  like  one  protracted  meeting.  September  and 
October  he  preached  in  Prince  Edward,  Nodaway,  Lun- 
enburg,  Charlotte  and  Mecklenburg  counties,  and  had 
good  success  everywhere.  We  returned  to  Amelia  county 
and  to  Dr.  Jeter's  the  last  of  October.  The  Doctor  was 
taken  very  sick  from  over-exertion.  Dr.  Jeter  and  Bro. 
Thomas  Crenshaw  nursed  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  brother 
in  the  flesh.  He  was  too  ill  to  be  up,  when  Kautz  and 
Wilson  made  their  raid  through  the  country.  We  could 
see  the  burning  depots  and  bridges  from  Dr.  Jeter's 
house  very  plainly.  The  Doctor  decided  that  as  soon  as 
he  was  able  he  would  move  on  ;  this  time  he  would  make 
sure  and  get  clear  beyond  the  possibility  of  trouble. 
Bro.  D.  H.  Spencer,  of  Horse  Pasture,  Henry  county, 
had  invited  us  to  visit  him  and  spend  some  time.  Again 
the  Doctor  had  to  bid  good-bye  to  friends  and  hunt  new 
fields  of  labor.  He  had  been  greatly  aided  during  his 
meetings  by  Brethren  Crenshaw,  Holland,  Walthal  and 
Wilson,  but  he  must  find  other  co-workers  now.  We 
left  Amelia  as  soon  as  the  railroad  was  repaired.  On 
arriving  at  Danville  we  took  stage  for  Horse  Pasture. 
The  first  night  we  reached  Henry  Court-house  and 
stayed  there  all  night.  Four  miles  from  the  court-house, 
on  the  Danville  road,  we  passed  Leatherwood,  once  the 
home  of  Dr.  Hopson's  grandfather,  and  where  his  father 
was  born.  We  reached  Bro.  Spencer's  the  next  day  in 
time  for  dinner. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Blue  Ridge.— Patrick  C.  H.— Paid  $5,000  for  a  Horse,  $500  for  a 
Saddle. — Plenty  of  Money. — Teaching  in  Patrick  Henry  Acad- 
emy.— Thirty-five  Pupils. — $3,500  a  Month  Salary. — Going  to 
Church. — Confederate  Candle. 

We  were  now  nestled  in  the  little  mountains  at  the 
foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  that  rose  higher  and  higher, 
until  Mount  Nebo  and  Airy  reared  their  tall  heads,  like 
sentinels,  to  the  southwest  of  us,  while  towards  the  set- 
ting sun  lay  the  long  line  of  blue,  from  which  the  moun- 
tain chain  takes  its  name. 

We  were  fifty  miles  due  west  from  Danville,  and  six 
miles  from  the  North  Carolina  line.  Our  nearest  town 
was  fourteen  miles — Henry  Court-house.  Our  post- 
office  was  three  or  four,  at  Penn's  Store.  Patrick 
Court-house  was  twenty  miles  west  of  us,  right  at  the 
foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Dr.  Hopson  made  arrange- 
ments to  preach  once  a  month  at  Patrick  Court-house, 
and  twice  a  month  at  Horse  Pasture  Church.  The  rest 
of  the  time  Bro.  Spencer  was  to  dispose  of  as  he  thought 
best.  The  first  thing  to  be  thought  of  was  a  means  of 
conveyance.  Owing  to  the  hilly  country,  and  bad  roads 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  he  only  needed  a  horse,  for 
which  he  cheerfully  paid  Bro.  Spencer  $5,000.  He  also 
succeeded  in  buying  a  saddle  and  bridle,  which  cost  him 
$600  more. 

The  horse  was  a  very  fine-looking,  large  gray  animal, 
and  strong  enough  to  stand  any  amount  of  burden. 

144 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  145 

We  had  plenty  of  money  then.  Wherever  the  Doc- 
tor had  held  a  meeting,  he  had  been  amply  remunerated 
by  a  liberal  brotherhood.  He  would  often  receive  from 
seven  to  eight  hundred  dollars  for  a  ten  days'  meeting, 
besides  which  a  sister  would  often  say,  "  Here,  Doctor, 
is  a  little  present.  I  sold  a  turkey  the  other  day  for  fifty 
dollars,  and  can  make  no  better  use  of  it  than  to  give 
the  money  to  you ;"  or  some  brother  would  hand  him 
from  one  to  two  hundred  dollars  as  a  private  donation. 

When  we  had  time  to  look  around  us,  we  felt  satis- 
fied that  there  were  good  people  all  over  Virginia.  For 
away  out  of  the  United  States  and  the  Confederate 
States,  and  almost  out  of  the  world,  we  had  discovered  a 
home  where  we  could  write  on  its  walls,  "  A  la  bam  a." 
Here  we  could  rest,  and  fear  no  evil.  As  soon  as  I  had 
learned  our  geographical  position,  I  told  Dr.  Hopson.  "  If 
ever  a  Federal  soldier  reaches  here  the  cause  is  lost,  for 
they  will  go  everywhere  else  first." 

We  had  no  near  neighbors,  but  we  could  see  the 
houses  of  four  or  five  from  our  own  high  porch.  A 
mile  away  was  the  home  of  Ballard  Preston,  which  had 
been  made  desolate  by  his  death  a  few  months  before. 
Dr.  Francis  was  on  another  high  hill ;  and  back  of  us 
Dr.  Dillard  lived.  No  one  put  his  house  under  a 
bushel  in  that  country.  We  could  see  other  farms  and 
tenements  five  and  six  miles  from  us.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  wealth  in  the  two  counties,  though  it  was  con- 
fined to  a  few  families.  Of  one  thing  you  would  have 
to  be  very  careful — if  you  had  an  evil  tongue,  you 
must  not  speak  ill  of  any  one,  for  everybody  was  kin  to 
everybody  else.  And  as  all  the  matrons  and  their 
mothers  and  daughters  had  been  educated  at  the  Moravian 


146  LJFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

school  in  North  Carolina,  thirty  or  forty  miles  south  of 
there,  this  made  them  all  double  kin. 

We  had  been  in  Henry  county  but  a  short  time,  be- 
fore the  friends  began  to  beg  Dr.  Hopson  to  open  school 
in  Patrick  Henry  Academy,  four  miles  from  our  home. 
There  were  no  schools  of  any  kind  in  the  county,  and 
the  children  were  losing  much  valuable  time.  He 
opened  school  with  thirty-five  boys  and  young  men.  He 
had  to  leave  home  early  in  the  morning,  and  be  away 
until  dark.  The  time  hung  heavy  on  my  hands,  and  I 
was  glad  when  Sister  Spencer  proposed  that  I  should 
teach  her  children  who  were  too  small  to  go  to  the  Acad- 
emy. I  consented,  and  taught  for  a  while  in  Bro.  Spen- 
cer's office  in  the  yard,  but  soon  had  applications  for 
more  pupils  than  I  could  accommodate  there,  and  moved 
my  school  to  a  cabin  a  few  hundred  yards  away.  I  had 
twenty-five  pupils,  and  the  Doctor  thirty-five.  I  received 
$500  a  month  for  all  my  pupils,  and  he  $3,500  for  his 
school.  We  were  making  money  fast,  and  had  our  eyes 
on  a  nice  little  farm  worth  $26,000,  which  we  were  going 
to  buy  when  we  made  up  the  amount. 

It  kept  the  Doctor  busy  at  night  renewing  his 
studies.  Some  of  the  young  gentlemen  were  very  well 
advanced,  as  there  had  always  been  a  good  school  kept 
up  at  the  Academy.  We  had  no  candles  or  lamps,  and 
had  to  read  and  study  by  the  help  of  lightwood,  or  fat 
pine,  which  was  the  heart  of  old  pine  trees,  and  filled 
with  resin  and  turpentine.  It  made  a  light  by  which 
you  could  see  to  read  in  the  furthest  part  of  the  room.  I 
said  we  had  no  candles.  We  did,  and  I  will  tell  you 
how  they  were  made.  We  had  first  made  a  square  block 
of  wood,  six  inches  square  ;  in  the  middle  was  inserted 
a  stick  a  foot  high.  We  then  took  a  ball  of  candle 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  147 

wicking,  and  dipped  it  in  a  mixture  of  beeswax,  resin, 
and  a  little  tallow,  which  was  very  scarce,  as  the  govern- 
ment wanted  all  the  grease  in  the  country  to  grease  the 
army  wagons.  After  the  wick  was  thickly  coated,  we 
would  take  our  fifteen  foot  candle,  and  commence  at  the 
bottom  of  the  stick,  and  coil  it  round  and  round  until  it 
formed  a  pyramid  ;  then  we  would  wind  a  narrow  strip 
of  tin  around  the  stick,  make  a  loop  near  the  top,  and 
draw  our  wick  through  it — and  we  had  our  candle. 

But  this  candle  was  kept  for  Sunday  and  company. 
When  the  house  was  filled  with  visitors,  those  who  re- 
tired first  took  the  candle,  with  the  injunction,  "  As  soon 
as  you  are  through  with  it,  set  it  outside  your  door,"  as 
it  often  had  to  do  duty  for  half  a  dozen  people. 

Horse  Pasture  was  not  a  town ;  it  was  the  name  of  a 
creek,  which  ran  down  from  the  mountains.  Our  church 
was  two  miles  from  Bro.  Spencer's.  The  gentlemen 
always  went  on  horseback  and  the  ladies  of  the  family 
in  the  carriage.  Sometimes,  when  all  the  horses  were  at 
home,  I  would  ride  through  the  shorter  route  with  the 
Doctor,  but  the  hills  were  so  steep  and  long  I  did  not 
enjoy  it  much,  finding  it  very  difficult,  to  keep  from  slip- 
ping back  off  the  saddle.  The  church  was  a  good  sub- 
stantial frame  building,  out  in  the  woods.  The  people 
came  to  church,  some  on  horseback,  some  in  carriages, 
some  in  ox  carts,  some  on  foot,  until  the  house  would  be 
filled. 

I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  deference  paid  to 
women,  by  young  men  especially.  If  a  lady  rode  up  to 
the  stile,  unattended,  two  or  three  young  men  would 
hasten  to  assist  her  to  alight  and  help  her  down  from  the 
block,  and  almost  always  escort  her  to  the  door.  This 
was  common  all  over  Virginia,  butf)  I  noticed  it  more 


148  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

here  than  anywhere,  perhaps  because  I  thought  one 
would  not  have  expected  it. 

While  many  elegant  and  cultured  people  came  to 
church,  the  majority  of  the  congregation  were  poor  peo- 
ple, totally  uneducated,  living  scattered  all  through  the 
hills  and  valleys  of  the  country.  The  Doctor  adapted 
his  preaching  to  the  latter  class,  and  said  if  they  could 
understand  him  the  others  could.  The  common  people 
heard  him  gladly.  He  was  successful  in  turning  some  to 
Christ. 

Fortunately  the  winter  was  not  severe,  and  the  spring 
opened  early.  At  rare  intervals  we  heard  news  from  the 
front.  The  scene  of  conflict  was  too  far  away  for  us  to 
know  much  of  it.  Nearly  all  the  really  able-bodied 
men  were  gone  from  the  country.  None  of  them  had 
time  to  spend  in  visiting  their  families. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Evacuation  of  Richmond.— The  Doctor's  Arrest,  Detention  and 
Release. — Col.  Trowbridge. — Maj.  Standish. — His  Return  to 
Horse  Pasture. — The  Raid. 

Thus  passed  the  winter  of  1864-'65.  The  Doctor  was 
happy  in  the  consciousness  that  he  was  doing  some  good 
and  making  himself  useful  to  his  fellow-men.  His  only 
drawback  was,  we  heard  nothing  from  our  mother  and 
daughter,  and  the  already  heavy  burden  of  his  debt  was 
daily  growing  heavier.  He  never  fretted  or  complained, 
but  bore  his  enforced  exile  patiently. 

I  am  sure  that  for  several  months  he  had  not  believed 
the  South  would  succeed.  He  thought  the  odds  against 
her  too  formidable  and  her  resources  too  limited.  Her 
soldiers  were  on  half-rations  most  of  the  time,  and  their 
ranks  were  being  depleted  by  death  and  capture. 

The  1st  of  April,  Richmond  was  evacuated,  and  Presi- 
dent Davis  and  the  cabinet  halted  at  Danville.  The 
news  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  traveled  fast,  and  pene- 
trated even  to  our  secluded  home.  As  soon  as  the  Doc- 
tor learned  that  it  was  really  so,  he  left  Bro.  Spencer's 
to  go  to  Danville,  consult  with  Gen.  John  B.  Clark, 
Vest,  and  Hatch,  of  Missouri,  as  to  the  prospect  of  the 
Confederacy.  When  he  had  learned  that,  he  could 
decide  what  was  best  to  be  done. 

He  left  Horse  Pasture  the  morning  of  April  9th. 
He  had  received  grapevine  dispatches  that  Stoneman 
with  his  command  was  coming  from  Christiansburg,  on 

149 


150  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

his  way  to  North  Carolina  to  join  the  Federal  forces 
coming  from  the  South.  This  hastened  the  Doctor's 
departure. 

He  had  not  been  gone  more  than  two  hours  before 
we  learned  that  he  must  have  ridden  right  into  the  Fed- 
eral lines.  Gen.  Stoneman,  having  heard  that  there  was 
a  small  Confederate-  force  at  Henry  Court-house,  sent 
around  a  portion  of  his  command  under  Col.  Trowbridge 
to  drive  them  out. 

I  will  give  Dr.  Hopson's  account  of  his  trip : 

"  I  was  riding  along  in  no  enviable  mood,  thinking  of  the  un- 
certain future  and  of  my  separated  family.  As  I  neared  the  court- 
house, I  noticed  some  soldiers  sitting  on  the  fence  by  the  roadside. 
They  were  in  their  shirt  sleeves,  and  as  I  rode  on,  some  one  cried, 
'  Halt !'  I  said,  '  All  right,'  and  continued  on  my  way.  Again 
the  word  rang  out,  'Halt,  I  tell  you  !'  and  another  argument  in 
the  shape  of  an  army  musket  induced  me  to  obey  the  command. 
I  still  did  not  comprehend  why  I  should  be  halted  this  far  from 
the  army.  I  began  to  look  round,  and  saw  four  soldiers,  and  soon 
discovered  that  some  of  them  had  on  blue  coats  instead  of  gray. 
I  knew  then  that  I  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Federals.  One  of  them 
said,  '  Get  down  off  that  horse.'  I  said,  '  All  right,'  and  dis- 
mounted. Another,  '  Come  out  of  them  spurs.'  I  took  my  gold 
spurs  (a  present  from  Dr.  C.  K.  Marshall,  of  Atlanta,)  off  and  gave 
them  to  him.  '  Hand  over  that  watch,'  said  a  third,  and  I  handed 
it.  I  took  my  saddle  and  blanket  off  my  horse,  and  as  I  laid  it 
down  I  asked  the  fourth  man,  who  had  not  said  anything,  if  there 
was  anything  he  would  like  to  have.  He  said  no,  he  did  not  want 
anything.  Just  at  this  juncture  an  old  darkey  walked  up  and 
said  t i the  soldiers :  '  What  for  you  take  dat  man's  horse  ?  He  's 
a  preacher.  Lives  up  to  mas'  Harrison  Spencer's.  He' s  the 
best  preacher  in  dis  country.'  The  fourth  man  then  turned  and 
asked  me,  '  Are  you  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  ?'  I  told  him  I  was. 
'  Why  did  n't  you  say  so  before  ?'  '  Because  I  thought  it  would 
be  worse  for  me.'  '|Well,  if  you  will  go  with  us  to  headquarters 
you  will  get  back  your  watch  and  spurs.'  I  had  no  choice  and 
went,  with  my  saddle  and  blanket^thrown  over  my  shoulder. 

"  I  was  taken  at  once  before  Col.  Trowbridge.     Dr.  Ramey,  a 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  151 

warm  friend  of  mine,  who  had  known  my  grandfather  and  father, 
and  who  was  the  one  Union  man  in  Henty  C.  H.,  happened  to 
be  present.  Col.  Trowbridge  asked  me  who  I  was.  I  told  him. 
lie  wanted  to  know  how  I  happened  to  have  on  Confederate  gray 
uniform.  I  told  him  we  had  only  two  colors  in  the  South — gray 
and  hutternut — and  I  preferred  the  gray.  He  said  he  thought  it 
showed  good  taste.  Dr.  Ramey  corroborated  my  statements  in 
regard  to  my  profession,  and  that  my  home  for  six  months  had 
been  in  the  country,  and  I  had  been  preaching  and  teaching  all 
the  time. 

"I  then  ventured  to  ask  for  my  watch  and  horse.  He  asked 
me  to  point  out  the  man  who  had  my  watch.  I  did  so,  and  it  was 
returned  to  me.  I  was  so  anxious  about  my  horse  I  forgot  my 
spurs.  I  then  said,  '  Colonel,  I  would  like  my  horse,  as  it  is  really 
my  means  of  support.  I  am  compelled  to  have  it  to  go  to  my 
appointments  twenty  miles  apart.'  '  Dr.  Hopson,  you  can  not 
have  your  horse.  We  need  horses  very  much,  and  yours  seems 
to  be  a  fine  one,  and  I  shall  be  compelled  to  keep  him.'  I  saw 
the  case  was  desperate,  but  determined  not  to  give  it  up  readily. 
I  said :  '  Col.  Trowbridge,  you  are  an  old  army  officer  and  was 
with  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  I  know  you 
are  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  take  a  poor  preacher's  horse.' 
The  Colonel  looked  at  me  a  moment  and  said :  '  How  did  you 
know  all  this  ?  You  have  done  some  good  talking,  but  I  can  not 
let  you  have  your  horse.'  '  You  '11  give  him  to  me,  Colonel,  I 
am  sure.'  '  You  '11  see,'  said  he. 

"Just  then  Dr.  Ramey  and  Maj.  Standish,  who  was  Quarter- 
master, I  think,  came  up  to  where  we  were  talking.  Colonel 
Trowbridge  said  :  '  Maj.  Standish,  see  what  that  horse  is  suitable 
for.'  The  Major  walked  round  the  horse,  examined  him  closely, 
and  told  one  of  the  men  to  throw  the  saddle  on.  As  soon  as  the 
saddle  touched  his  back  the  horse  became  very  restive.  The 
Major  found  a  sore  on  his  back  as  large  as  a  dollar.  I  always  put 
a  thick  pad  under  the  saddle,  with  a  hole  in  it,  so  as  to  protect 
the  place  when  I  rode,  but  when  I  took  the  saddle  off,  the  pad 
was  lost.  Maj.  Standish  said  to  the  Colonel :  '  This  horse  will 
not  do  for  a  pack  horse,  his  back  is  too  sore  ;  and  he  is  too  heavily 
built  for  a  cavalry  horse.'  '  Very  well ;  let  the  gentleman  have 
his  horse.'  '  Thank  you,  Colonel.  I  told  you  that  you  would  let 
me  have  my  horse.'  '  If  he  had  been  fit  for  service  you  would 


152  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

not  have  got  him  back,  I  assure  you.'     '  I  can  go  now,  Colonel  ?' 
'No,  you  can  not  leav§  here  for  twenty-four  hours.' 

"  Dr.  Ramey  invited  me  to  go  home  with  him,  which  I  did- 
He  and  Maj.  Standish  accompanied  me.  As  we  were  walking 
along,  the  Major  said  :  '  Dr.  Hopson,  Dr.  Ramey  tells  me  you  are 
a  minister  in  the  Disciples'  church.  Do  you  know  Isaac  Errett, 
of  Cincinnati  ?'  '  Very  well.'  '  Well,  he  used  to  live  in  Michi- 
gan, and  he  baptized  my  wife  and  daughters.  To  tell  you  the 
truth,  he  did  me,  too,  but  I  have  got  a  bit  demoralized  in  the 
army  ;  but  my  wife  and  daughters  are  good  Christians.  I  think 
my  wife  will  forgive  me  a  few  wrong  things  when  I  let  her  know 
I  saved  one  of  her  preachers  his  horse.  Your  horse  is  a  very  fine 
horse,  and  we  needed  him  ;  but  you  have  got  him — try  and  keep 
him.'  I  certainly  felt  very  grateful  to  the  Major  for  his  kindness. 
The  loss  of  my  horse  would  have  been  a  serious  one  to  me  at 
that  time." 

The  following  day  he  was  allowed  to  leave  for 
home.  » 

On  Saturday  night  we  learned  from  a  servant  that 
the  soldiers  would  pass  Bro.  Spencer's  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, on  their  way  back  to  join  their  command.  I  was  up 
by  sunrise,  watching  to  see  the  approach.  At  eight 
o'clock  we  saw  the  column  advancing  over  the  hill, 
nearly  two  miles  away.  The  blue  line  and  glittering 
feabers  looked  formidable  in  the  bright  sunlight.  I  pre- 
sumed the  Doctor  was  a  prisoner,  and  would  be  in  the 
approaching  line.  I  was  certain  I  should  easily  recog- 
nize the  gallant  gray  horse  and  his  rider  among  a  thou- 
sand. The  horse  was  raised  on  the  place,  and  would 
likely  desire  to  call. 

By  nine  o'clock  the  long  lino  began  to  file  past  in 
the  road  a  hundred  yards  down  the  hill.  I  watched  in 
vain  for  the  horse  and  rider  I  wanted  ;  nothing  answer- 
ing the  description  was  in  sight.  At  length,  just  as  the 
column  was  more  than  half  past  the  ,house,  I  saw  sixty 
of  the  colored  troops  leave  the  command,  and,  wheeling 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.  H.    HOP8ON.  153 

their  horses  out  of  the  line,  they  came  galloping  up  to 
the  house.  To  say  I  was  frightened,  would  express  my 
feelings  very  feebly 

I  rushed  down  stairs  and  into  Sister  Spencer's  room, 
which  by  this  time  was  filled  with  soldiers.  If  there  had 
been  a  single  white  man  among  ttyem,  I  should  not  have 
been  so  frightened ;  but  there  was  not  one.  Just  then  I 
espied  Dr.  Ramey's  dining-room  servant,  whom  I  knew, 
and  thought  I  would  venture  to  ask  him  if  he  had  seen 
anything  of  Dr.  Hopson.  He  said  certainly  ;  he  stayed 
all  night  with  his  master  the  night  before,  and  would 
leave  at  noon,  after  all  the  troops  had  got  fairly  off;  but 
he  did  not  know  where  the  Doctor  was  going.  I  felt 
some  relief  in  knowing  he  was  safe,  at  least. 

At  that  moment  Bro.  Spencer  came  into  the  house, 
and  said  to  the  soldiers,  "  Boys,  the  liquor  is  in  the 
smoke  house."  They  dropped  the  keys,  and  followed 
him  out  of  the  house.  By  the  time  they  had  filled  some 
of  their  canteens  with  apple  brandy,  and  the  remainder 
with  sorghum  molasses,  and  secured  each  one  a  piece  of 
bacon,  a  ham,  or  a  shoulder,  the  receding  line  of  troops 
warned  them  that  they  had  better  he  going;  and  we 
were  left  in  peace.  I  went  to  bed  ill  from  fright  and 
anxiety.  About  six  o'clock  that  evening,  a  servant  be- 
longing to  a  neighbor  came  to  the  house  to  bring  me  ti- 
dings of  the  Doctor.  When  he  left  Henry  Court-house, 
he  made  a  wide  detour,  to  avoid  falling  in  with  the  sol- 
diers again,  and  on  Sunday  evening  reached  a  h  gh  hill 
commanding  a  view  of  Bro.  Spencer's  house,  about  six 
miles  away.  He  got  the  boy  to  come  to  let  me  know  he 
would  come  home  in  the  morning,  when  he  would  not  be 
apprehensive  of  further  trouble.  I  felt  so  relieved  and 
thankful  that  it  was  as  well  with  us  all  as  it  was ! 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

News  of  the  Surrender. — Start  for  Richmond. — Our  Detention. — 
Dr.  Hopson  as  a  Huckster. — Selling  Vegetables  and  Fruit  to- 
the  Federal  Construction  Corps  for  Tea,  Coffee,  Flour,  etc. — 
Aiding  Two  Old  People. — Three  Attempts  to  Reach  Rich- 
mond.— Trip  in  a  Sutler's  Wagon  across  the  Last  Field  of 
Battle. — Arrival  at  Amelia  Springs. — Fishing. — Call  to  Rich- 
mond Church. 

It  must  have  been  the  middle  of  the  week  when  we 
heard  of  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee.  Cabbal  Brecken- 
ridge,  son  of  John  C.,  and  several  Confederate  officers, 
came  through  there  on  their  way  to  the  South,  thinking 
it  the  safest  route.  From  them  we  learned  the  news. 
All  the  Doctor  said  when  he  heard  it,  was,  "  It  is  fin- 
ished!  The  war  is  ended."  Before  we  had  recovered 
from  the  first  shock,  another  followed — the  death  of  Lin- 
coln. As  soon  as  we  could  realize  that  it  was  true,  the 
Doctor  said,  "  It  is  the  worst  thing  that  could  have  hap- 
pened to  the  South  at  this  time."  This  was  the  univer- 
sal cry. 

I  asked  the  Doctor  if  he  remembered  my  remark 
about  the  advent  of  Federal  soldiers  in  the  county.  He 
said  he  did.  The  day  he  was  taken  prisoner  Lee  sur- 
rendered. 

His  only  thought  now  was  to  place  himself  in  a  po- 
sition to  communicate  with  his  friends.  He  sold  his 
horse,  saddle  and  bridle  to  Bro.  Spencer,  and  as  soon  as 
possible  started  to  Richmond.  When  he  arrived  in 

164 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  155 

Danville,  he  at  once  visited  the  Provost  Marshal's  Office, 
to  procure  passes  to  Richmond.  He  was  informed  that 
he  would  have  to  take  the  regular  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  United  States  government,  which  he  did,  and  the 
papers  were  procured.  After  considerable  delay  and  no 
inconsiderable  annoyance,  we  left  Danville.  The  cars 
were  crowded  and  packed  with  citizens  and  soldiers. 
They  had  to  run  very  slowly,  the  track  was  in,  such  a 
bad  condition.  We  arrived  at  Meherrin's  Station  early 
in  the  morning,  and  found  we  could  not  go  mucli 
further.  Fortunately  we  were  within  four  miles  of 
some  friends  with  whom  we  had  stayed  while  the  Doctor 
held  a  meeting  at  Liberty  Church,  near  by.  The  cars 
took  us  to  the  station  nearest  their  house,  where  the 
Construction  Corps  were  at  work  repairing  the  road, 
which  was  almost  entirely  destroyed  between  there  and 
Richmond. 

We  left  our  trunk  at  the  station,  and  walked  through 
the  woods  to  Bro.  Wooten's,  a  mile.  We  found  Bro. 
and  Sister  Wooten,  two  very  old  people,  and  their  two 
daughters,  all  the  white  occupants  of  the  home.  The 
brothers  had  not  yet  been  paroled.  They  were  so  glad 
to  see  us — they  felt  so  desolate !  All  their  old  family 
servants  were  gone,  and  only  two  little  darkeys,  a  boy 
and  girl  of  ten  and  twelve,  were  left.  They  had  an  old 
horse  and  one  cow  left  of  their  well-stocked  farm.  They 
had  a  little  corn  meal  and  a  few  pounds  of  bacon.  In 
the  garden  were  plenty  of  beets,  onions  and  lettuce,  but 
they  thought  them  too  small  to  use. 

The  day  following  our  arrival,  Dr.  H.  took  a  basket 
and  the  two  servants,  and  went  into  the  garden.  He 
pulled  up  some  of  the  young  beets  and  onions,  and  half 
filled  the  basket.  Then  he  made  the  little  fellows  pick 


156  LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

some  green  currants  and  gooseberries,  with  which  the 
bushes  were  loaded,  laid  a  paper  over  the  vegetables,  and 
filled  the  basket  full.  He  then  got  a  two-gallon  earthen 
jar,  and  filled  it  with  milk,  and  with  his  two  sable  com- 
panions went  down  to  the  camp  of  the  Construction 
Corps.  They  were  delighted  to  see  him,  and  Capt. 
Druinmond  at  once  had  the  basket  and  jar  emptied  ;  and 
the  basket  was  soon  filled  with  packages  of  rice,  sugar, 
flour,  tea,  soda,  pepper,  salt,  and  the  jar  with  ground 
coffee.  The  Captain  said  he  was  so  glad  to  get  the 
things,  and  to  come  every  day  and  make  the  exchanges. 
By  the  end  of  the  week  the  big  ox-heart  cherries  were 
ripe,  and  they  were  added  to  the  load. 

The  first  day,  when  the  Doctor  returned  with  his 
groceries,  the  old  people  were  astonished  and  delighted ; 
but  when  the  Doctor  laid  the  package  of  tea  in  the  old 
lady's  lap,  she  smelled  it,  and  actually  cried  for  joy.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  tea-kettle  was  boiling,  and  she  was  en- 
gaged in  sipping  her  favorite  beverage,  which  she  had 
not  tasted  for  months  before.  The  last  pound  of  tea  sold 
in  Richmond,  it  is  said,  brought  $375,  and  the  last  bar- 
rel of  flour  $2,500. 

Capt.  Drummond  said  the  way  would  be  open  for  us 
to  go  on  to  Richmond  in  a  week.  One  morning  he  sent 
a  messenger  to  let  us  know  that  the  cars  would  be 
through  some  time  during  the  day,  and  to  come  down 
and  take  dinner  with  him.  He  sent  for  our  trunk,  and 
we  said  good-bye  to  our  friends,  and  left.  We  waited 
until  3  P.  M.  No  cars,  but  a  dispatch  that  the  end  of  the 
bridge  over  the  Roanoke  had  settled,  and  it  would  be 
two  or  three  days  before  it  would  be  repaired  so  that 
cars  could  cross.  It  was  a  very  great  disappointment  to 
us,  but  Capt.  Drummond  sent  us  back  home  again,  with 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  157 

ample  provisions  for  another  week.  In  a  few  days  he 
notified  us  again,  and  we  went  down  to  the  depot,  dined 
with  him  again,  and  waited.  The  train  from  Richmond 
passed  down  the  track  to  Meherrin's,  where  the  trains 
usually  met  and  passed  each  other.  We  heard  the  whis- 
tle of  the  other  train  as  it  came  up  from  the  South.  We 
waited  on  au.  hour  or  two,  and  saw  several  gentlemen 
walking  up  the  track  from  the  station  below.  Capt. 
Drummond  met  them,  and  found  that  the  trains  had 
tried  to  pass  on  the  same  track,  and,  not  succeeding,  had 
collided.  I  told  the  Doctor  I  felt  like  walking  to  Rich- 
mond. Capt.  Drummond  said  I  must  not  get  out  of 
patience — they  were  a  good  deal  longer  trying  to  get  to 
Richmond  than  we  had  been.  We  went  back  to  Bro. 
Wooten's  again.  The  Doctor  took  it  very  coolly.  He 
said  he  was  sure  if  we  lived  long  enough  that  we  should 
reach  there,  and  he  had  learned  to  be  patient. 

Four  more  days  passed  before  we  received  the  third 
summons.  We  told  our  dear  friends  we  would  not  say 
good-bye  until  we  came  back.  We  were  very  sure  we 
would  be  off  this  time.  When  we  got  to  the  depot  the 
train  was  standing  on  the  track — nothing  but  box-cars 
and  an  engine.  We  got  on  board.  I  seated  myself  on 
my  trunk  and  the  Doctor  found  a  bench.  The  tops  of 
the  cars  were  covered  with  freedmen,  going  to  Paradise, 
as  they  conceived  Richmond  to  be  ;  the  inside  filled  with 
all  kinds  of  luggage,  except  the  car  we  were  in,  which 
was  reserved  for  half  a  dozen  white  passengers.  We 
shook  hands  with  Capt.  Drummond  and  started.  Our 
hearts  were  light,  and  we  felt  we  should  in  a  few  hours 
be  able  to  write  to  our  friends  and  hear  from  them.  But 
in  this  instance,  as  in  many  others,  tf  the  best  laid 
schemes"  were  all  thwarted.  We  ran  a  mile  from  the 


158  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

depot,  and  had  just  got  into  the  middle  of  a  fill  nearly 
fifty  feet  high,  when  there  was  a  sudden  jar,  and  when  I 
picked  myself  up  off  the  floor  I  saw  heads,  hands,  feet 
flying  off  the  top  of  the  car  and  rolling  down  the  em- 
bankment, some  cursing  and  some  praying.  A  broken 
rail  had  thrown  the  engine  off  the  track.  But  for  the 
slow  rate  we  were  traveling,  the  result  would  have  been 
most  serious.  As  it  was,  only  one  was  killed,  a  boy  of 
sixteen,  who  fell  between  the  cars  and  was  crushed  to 
death. 

As  soon  as  Capt.  Drummond  saw  something  had  hap- 
pened, he  got  on  a  hand-car  and  came  at  once  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  He  told  the  Doctor  he  had  done 
his  best  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  he  believed  it  was  impos- 
sible, so  he  would  load  us  and  our  baggage  onto  the 
hand-car  and  send  us  back  to  the  depot.  We  thankfully 
accepted  the  alternative,  and  night  found  us  again  the 
guests  of  Bro.  Wooten.  The  old  people  said  they  had 
got  so  used  to  our  coming  back  they  would  have  been 
disappointed  if  we  had  failed  them. 

The  Doctor  continued  his  marketing  until  they  had 
provisions  enough  to  last  them  three  or  four  months — 
sugar,  coffee,  tea,  canned  fruits,  lard,  pickled  pork,  dried 
beef,  etc.  The  Doctor  said  the  exercise  kept  him  from 
stagnating. 

By  this  time  the  paroled  soldiers  began  to  return 
home.  Some  of  them  were  bringing  horses  and  sutlers' 
wagons  with  them,  and  the  Doctor  now  decided  he  would 
try  to  reach  our  goal  by  another  route.  In  a  day  or  two 
he  made  arrangements  for  a  young  man  to  take  us  as  far 
as  Amelia  Springs,  twenty  miles.  This  was  as  far  as  he 
was  willing  to  go.  We  took  a  last  farewell  of  the  dear 
old  people  who  had  sheltered  us  in  our  hour  of  need, 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  159 

and  drove  down  past  the  depot  to  8ay  good-bye  to  Capt. 
Drunmiond.  We  left  him  with  real  regret,  for  his  great 
courtesy  and  kindness  to  us,  and  we  shall  always  remem- 
ber his  generous  assistance  with  heartfelt  pleasure. 

We  left  by  sunrise,  as  the  man  wished  to  return  the 
same  day.  -We  had  to  drive  with  great  care.  A  part  of 
the  way  our  road  lay  right  through  the  battle-field,  where 
the  last  terrible  struggle  of  the  war  occurred.  The 
scene  was  one  of  desolation  and  ruin.  The  fences  were 
all  torn  down,  the  trees  cut  to  pieces  with  minnie  balls, 
or  mowed  down  with  grape  and  canister;  here  a  pile  of 
shell,  there  a  broken  caisson,  here  a  dead  horse,  there  a 
mule,  here  a  half-buried  soldier,  and  there  a  bird  of  prey 
glutting  itself  on  the  dead  carcasses.  It  was  a  scene  I 
shall  never  forgot.  We  were  momentarily  in  fear  that  a 
shell  might  explode  under  us,  but  by  the  providence  of 
God  we  arrived  safely  at  the  Springs  in  time  for  dinner. 
Bro.  Cottrell  met  us  and  threw  his  arms  around  the 
Doctor  and  wept.  I  think  we  all  shed  a  few  tears.  I, 
for  one,  had  been  ready  to  cry  all  day.  There  were 
never  more  grateful  prayers  went  up  to  the  throne  of 
God  than  ascended  from  the  family  altar  that  night. 

Something  else  was  to  be  thought  of  now.  Both 
armies  had  passed  over  the  Springs,  and  what  one  left 
the  other  took.  Bro.  Cottrell  was  in  the  condition  of 
Job,  with  the  exception  he  had  his  children  left  and  was 
not  afflicted  with  boils,  and  he  had  a  good  Christian  wife. 
Of  forty  head  of  horses  and  mules,  two  were  saved ;  of 
eighty  cattle,  not  more  than  two ;  of  one  hundred  sheep 
and  fifty  hogs,  but  one.  He  was  so  wild,  no  one  could 
get  within  rifle-shot  of  him. 

The  next  morning  the  Doctor  and  Jimmie  Cottrell,  a 
lad  of  twelve,  were  up  by  daylight,  and,  with  fishing 


160  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

rods  and  bait,  off  for  the  creek,  a  few  hundred  yards 
away.  In  an  hour  or  two  they  returned  with  enough 
fish  for  breakfast.  This  was  their  practice  every  morn- 
ing the  two  weeks  we  were  there.  The  armies  had  only 
left  Bro.  Cottrell  half  of  a  middling,  some  corn  meal,  a 
little  flour,  and  a  few  gallons  of  that  great  boon  to  the 
South — sorghum.  Every  day  Bro.  Cottrell  and  George, 
his  servant  (three  of  the  servants  never  left  him),  would 
go  out  and  hunt,  shooting  blackbirds,  robins,  or  any  bird 
that  was  eatable.  In  this  way  we  were  provided  with 
meat  from  day  to  day,  until  the  way  was  opened  to  Rich- 
mond, where  alone  supplies  could  be  obtained. 

The  preceding  October,  before  the  Doctor  left  the 
Springs  to  go  to  Henry  county.  Bro.  Cottrell  sealed  up 
some  valuable  papers  and  $5,000  in  gold,  with  some 
silverware,  and  putting  them  in  a  heavy  canvas  bag,  had 
tied  them  tightly  with  a  strong  rope.  He  asked  the 
Doctor  to  walk  with  him  one  night  after  dark,  and  they 
went  together  to  a  deep  hole  in  the  creek,  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  house,  and  he  sunk  the  bundle  in  the 
hole,  which  was  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  deep.  He 
said,  in  case  anything  should  happen  to  him,  he  wanted 
the  Doctor  to  know  of  the  deposit  and  let  his  family 
know.  As  soon  as  the  road  was  open  to  Richmond,  they 
went  down  together  and  fished  the  package  up,  finding 
everything  intact.  He  at  once  sent  his  trusty  servant 
with  some  of  the  money  to  Richmond  to  purchase  sup- 
plies, with  which  he  returned  the  next  day,  to  our  great 
delight.  In  a  few  days  the  Doctor  received  a  call  to  the 
Richmond  Church.  Bro.  Pettigrew  had  resigned,  after 
eleven  years'  faithful  service.  He  was  greatly  beloved 
by  his  congregation,  who  disliked  to  give  him  up  for 
any  one. 


LIFE    OP   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  161 

Dr.  Hopson  said  he  would  go  and  visit  the  church, 
and  see  what  was  best  to  be  done.  He  left  the  next  day, 
and  I  remained  at  Bro.  Cottrell's  until  he  should  decide 
what  he  would  do. 

This  was  our  first  opportunity  to  write  home,  as  there 
were  no  mail  facilities  from  anywhere  we  had  been  since 
the  war  closed.  We  were  becoming  very  impatient  to 
hear  from  our  loved  ones. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Takes  Charge  of  the  Church. — Condition  of  the  Country. — Im- 
poverishment of  the  People. — R.  M.  Bishop's  Generous  Aid. — 
Brave  People. — The  Doctor's  Indebtedness  in  Missouri  nearly 
Doubled. — Visit  to  Kentucky. — Preachers  throughout  Vir- 
ginia.— Bro.  Shelburn,  his  Money  and  his  Calf. 

On  the  Doctor's  arrival  in  Richmond,  Le  ascertained 
from  the  brethren,  and  Bro.  Pettigrew  himself,  that  his 
resignation  was  positive  and  final,  before  he  would  accept 
the  invitation  to  become  pastor  of  the  church.  He  said 
no  amount  of  money  would  influence  him  to  rob  a 
brother  preacher  of  a  deserved  and  desired  position. 
When  he  found  the  way  satisfactorily  cleared,  he  con- 
sented to  take  charge  of  the  church.  He  felt  very  grate- 
ful to  the  people  of  Virginia  for  the  manner  in  which 
they  had  treated  us  when  we  came  among  them  stran- 
gers during  the  war,  and  he  felt  that  he  would  like  to 
know  them  in  times  of  peace  as  well.  He  at  once  en- 
tered upon  his  work,  and  the  following  week  I  joined 
him. 

I  scarcely  know  in  what  terms  of  praise  to  speak  of 
the  brethren  and  sisters  in  Richmond,  and,  indeed,  all 
Virginia.  The  country  outside  of  and  surrounding  the 
city  was  desolated.  Stock  gone,  fences  destroyed,  farm- 
ing implements  worn  out — literally,  they  seemed  to  have 
lost  everything  but  pluck  and  honor.  In  the  conflagra- 
tion attending  the  evacuation,  nineteen  blocks  were 
burned  in  the  business  center  of  the  city;  shops,  stores, 

162 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  163 

hotels,  everything,  went  up  in  smoke.  Our  brethren, 
many  of  them,  were  severe  sufferers.  While  they  were 
left  too  poor  to  buy  goods,  if  their  stores  had  not  been 
burned  they  might  have  rented  them  to  the  numerous 
parties  who  flocked  to  the  city  with  large  stocks  of  goods 
as  soon  us  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Federal 
troops.  Many  families,  once  wealthy,  had  to  draw 
rations  of  the  government  to  sustain  life.  Others,  rather 
than  do  that,  boarded  government  officials  and  army 
officers,  who  were  glad  to  secure  quiet  homes  in*private 
families. 

We  were  kindly  cared  for  at  the  house  of  Mr.  David 
Baker,  one  of  those  noble  Jasons  abounding  in  the 
world.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  church  and  a 
great  sufferer.  In  a  short  time  we  were  able  to  secure 
board  with  the  family  of  Bro.  E.  B.  Spence. 

When  we  arrived  in  Richmond  we  had  plenty  of 
money  and  bonds,  but  it  was  a  little  out  of  date  and  in 
large  bills,  nor  could  we  readily  get  it  changed  into  the 
currency  of  the  country.  Dr.  Hopson  notified  Bro.  R. 
M.  Bishop  of  his  impecunious  condition.  Bro.  Bishop 
responded  with  a  check  for  $300,  and  notice  to  call  for 
more  whenever  needed.  That  his  friends  in  Kentucky 
did  not  forget  him  you  will  see  from  an  extract  of  a  let- 
ter from  Bro.  L.  A.  Cutler,  of  Richmond,  pastor  of 
Marshall  Street  Church : 

"When  Kentucky  brethren  sent  the  Doctor  money  to  use  as 
he  thought  best,  he  supplied  some  of  our  preachers  with  cloth- 
ing. A  box  of  clothing  came  to  me  when  I  was  sadly  in  need  of 
it.  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  he  is  not  able  to  preach  the  old  Jerusalem 
Gospel  which  he  formerly  proclaimed  with  such  impressiveness 
and  power." 

The   money  sent   him   he  distributed   to   those   he 


164  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

thought  needed  it  most.  The  money  he  borrowed  he 
used  to  pay  board,  and  purchase  a  few  store  clothes  in 
the  place  of  our  Confederate  home-made  coats,  dresses 
and  bonnets. 

With  all  their  poverty,  the  church  determined  that 
the  gospel  should  be  preached  and  the  minister  of  God 
supported.  It  took  no  little  self-denial  to  accomplish 
this  result. 

Bro.  Kinnaird,  at  his  death,  near  the  close  of  the 
war,  left  the  church  a  nice  house  for  a  parsonage.  It 
was  partly  furnished,  but  we  were  not  able  to  add  the 
needed  furniture,  and  the  Doctor  rented  it,  in  this  way 
supplementing  his  salary. 

He  now  began  to  look  the  situation  in  the  face,  and 
the  condition  of  things  was  not  at  all  inviting.  He 
took  an  inventory  of  his  assets  and  liabilities.  -  He  had 
paid  the  interest  on  his  indebtedness  up  to  January,  1861. 
He  was  arrested  in  July,  1862.  The  war  closed  in 
April,  1865,  and  he  was  unable  to  pay  anything  on  inter- 
est or  principal  until  January,  1866,  when  he  paid 
$1,600,  given  him  on  his  visit  to  Kentucky  by  the 
brethren.  His  indebtedness  still  remained  $11,284.00. 
His  assets  were  wife,  daughter,  father  and  mother,  good 
health,  and  a  determination  to  pay  his  creditors  to  the 
uttermost  farthing. 

He  felt  it  to  be  his  first  duty  to  pay  father  and 
mother  for  their  tender  care  of  Sadie,  her  board,  clothes, 
music  lessons — the  actual  expense  they  were  at  for  her 
during  the  four  years  of  her  sojourn  with  them.  This 
amounted  to  $1,000,  which  he  saved  from  his  first  year's, 
salary  in  Richmond.  In  August,  1865,  he  sent  for 
father  to  bring  Sadie  to  us.  He  felt  unwilling  to  give 
her  up  any  longer.  Her  education  was  not  completed, 


LJFE   OF    DR.   U.    H.    HOI'SnN.  165 

but  we  had  good  schools  in  Virginia  where  she  could  go 
and  yet  be  near  us.  After  her  arrival  she  spent  some 
time  with  us  in  Richmond,  and  then  the  Doctor  made 
arrangements  for  her  to  finish  her  school  life  with  Bro. 
James  Goss,  at  Piedmont  Academy,  which  she  did  the 
following  year.  When  she  came  to  us,  it  was  very  diffi- 
cult to  realize  that  the  little  girl  of  twelve  we  left  in 
1862  was  now  a  grown  young  lady. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  the  Doctor  decided  to  move 
his  father  and  mother  to  Virginia,  the  boarding  school  in 
Paris  having  suspended.  They  were  getting  old,  and  he 
felt  that,  as  far  as  possible,  care  and  anxiety  as  to  the 
future  should  be  removed  from  them.  It  was  a  joyful 
time  when  we  all  were  united  under  the  same  roof  again. 
Their  advent  was  a  benison  to  us  after  the  long  years  of 
separation. 

We  found  the  brethren  bearing  their  reverses  nobly, 
and  giving  more  liberally  in  their  adversity  than  they 
had  done  in  their  prosperity.  I  heard  but  one  regret 
expressed  by  them  throughout  the  State,  and  that  was 
that  they  had  not  given  more  of  their  means  to  the  cause 
of  Christ  before  they  were  swept  from  them.  Now, 
money,  servants,  and,  in  many  instances,  houses,  were 
swept  away,  but  they  took  up  the  burden  of  their  lives 
without  a  murmur,  as  brave,  true  Christian  men  should. 
They  had  risked  and  lost,  and  accepted  the  penalty. 

Most  of  our  preachers  throughout  the  State  were 
men  of  means,  and  were  generous  enough  to  preach  for 
the  churches  without  fee  or  reward.  Brethren  Goss, 
Henley,  Shelburn,  Ainslie,  Coleman,  Bullard,  Flippo, 
Walthal,  all  owned  property,  some  more,  some  less. 
These  men  were  a  noble  and  devoted  band  of  men,  self- 
sacrificing  to  the  last. 


166  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Dear  old  Bro.  Shelburn  used  to  visit  us  nearly  every 
month  after  we  went  to  Richmond  to  live.     He  staid 
with  us  whenever  he  brought  a  load  of  marketing  to 
sell.     One  day  Bro.  Shelburn  seemed  more  than  usually 
anxious  to  see  the  Doctor.    When  the  Doctor  came  home, 
the  old  gentleman  told  him  he  had  brought  a  thousand 
dollars  to  town  with  him,  and  wanted  him  to  take  it  and 
keep  it  for  him.     He  said  he  was  afraid  some  one  would 
steal  it  from  him.     The  Doctor  told  him  he  would  not 
like  to  be  responsible  for  such  an  amount  of  money  in 
such  troublesome  times,  and  advised  him  to  deposit  in 
Bro.  Maury's  bank.      He  knew  nothing  about  banks  ; 
had  never  had  any  money  to  put  away  before.     The  Doc- 
tor explained  how  banks  took  care  of  one's  money,  until 
Bro.  Shelburn  understood  how  to  get  his  money  into  the 
bank.     But  he  says :  "  Doctor,  how  shall  I  get  it  out 
again  ?     They  might  keep  it."     After  the  Doctor  had 
explained  all  about  check-books  and  checks,  he  went 
with  the  dear  old  man  to  the  bank  and  saw  the  money 
safely  deposited.     He  staid  several  days  with  us  after  the 
important  event,  and  every  little  while  he  would  say, 
"  Well,  well,  it  beats  all !"  alluding  to  the  bank. 

Somebody  stole  a  calf  from  Bro.  Shelburn.  He  fol- 
lowed it  to  Richmond,  and  got  the  Doctor  to  go  with  him 
to  the  market  to  look  for  it.  Dr.  Hopson  said  :  "  Bro. 
Shelburn,  would  you  know  the  calf!"  He  responded: 
"Know  my  calf!  Better  than  I  should  one  of  my 
grandchildren,"  and  they  found  it,  sure  enough,  he 
identifying  it  easily.  The  Doctor  wanted  to  know  if  he 
was  going  to  prosecute  the  thief.  He  said  :  "  No,  I  have 
got  my  calf.  I  do  n't  want  the  thief."  Nor  did  he  pros- 
ecute the  man,  a  mere  youth. 

Whenever  the  Doctor  was   holding  a    meeting,  he 


IJFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  167 

would  come  and  remain  with  us  several  days.  I  remem- 
ber, one  night,  after  the  Doctor  had  preached,  there  were 
several  persons  to  be  immersed.  Bro.  Pettigrew  was  to 
do  the  baptizing.  Bro.  Shelburn  was  stretched  out  full 
length  on  the  front  seat,  with  his  head  propped  on  the 
back  of  the  pew.  Bro.  Pettigrew  had  retired  to  the 
dressing-room  to  prepare  himself  to  administer  the  ordi- 
nance. A  dead  silence  was  in  the  church.  All  at  once 
Bro.  Shelburn  raised  his  head,  and  turning  his  beaming 
face  to  the  congregation,  said  :  "  Brethren,  sing  a  song, 
while  Bro.  Pettigrew  has  gone  to  change  his  breeches." 
You  may  imagine  the  sensation,  and  how  difficult  to 
raise  a  tune  under  such  conditions,  but  old  Bro.  Tyler 
was  equal  to  the  occasion  and  led  in  the  song,  "  How 
happy  are  they."  The  dear  old  man  was  as  free  from 
guile  as  a  child,  and  had  a  mould  of  granite  with  a  heart 
of  gold.  He  was  a  diamond  in  the  rough.  I  must  tell 
one  more  anecdote  of  him,  even  if  I  wander  a  little. 

A  large  portion  of  his  life  he  had  occupied  a  house 
in  which  the  family  room  was  several  steps  lower  than 
the  other  portion  of  the  house.  He  often  had  people 
come  to  his  house  to  be  married.  They  came  through 
the  hall  and  down  the  three  or  four  steps  into  his  room, 
where  he  performed  the  ceremony.  At  length  he  moved 
into  a  house  where  the  floors  were  all  on  a  level.  He 
said,  one  day  a  couple  came  to  be  married.  They  walked 
into  the  room,  and  he  started  to  say  the  ceremony,  but 
could  not  get  on  at  all.  He  could  not  imagine  what  was 
wrong.  At  length  he  discovered  that  there  were  no 
steps  to  the  room.  He  had  the  couple  go  up  the  stairs 
leading  out  of  the  room  and  come  down  again,  when  he 
married  them  without  any  trouble.  He  told  us  this  him- 
self. This  man  of  God,  so  simple,  honest,  and  plain  of 


168  LIFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

speech,  was  a  very  Boanerges  in  the  pulpit.  While  Bro. 
Shelburn  was  bold  and  aggressive,  like  Peter,  Bro. 
Walthal  was  loving  and  tender,  like  John,  and  Bro. 
Chester  Bullard  struck  a  happy  mean  between  the  two. 

Bro.  Goss  rarely  left  his  school  life  in  his  mountain 
home  to  mingle  in  the  great  world  outside.  He  was  as 
modest  as  he  was  pure  and  good,  and  was  always  living 
near  the  white  throne  to  which  he  expected  almost  daily 
to  be  summoned.  In  a  few  short  years  his  life  closed 
suddenly,  as  he  had  been  expecting  for  a  long  period, 
and  heaven  won  and  earth  lost  a  beautiful  spirit. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Bro.  Clem  mitt's  Letter. — General  Meeting. — The  Convention  be- 
tween Sixteen  of  our  People  and  Sixteen  Prominent  Baptists, 
in  Richmond. 

I  wrote  Bro.  Wm.  Clemmitt,  of  Richmond,  to  procure 
me  the  history  of  the  Doctor's  connection  with  the  church 
there.  In  answer,  I  received  the  following  : 

"  Dr.  Hopson  must  have  come  to  this  city  the  latter  part  of 
1862,  or  early  in  1863.  My  first  knowledge  of  him  was  his  preach- 
ing for  the  church  of  Bowling  Green,  in  Caroline  county,  and  of 
his  holding  a  very  successful  meeting  here  the  fall  of  1863,  in 
which  he  had  thirty-five  additions.  He  was  called  to  the  Rich- 
mond church  in  May  or  the  early  part  of  June,  1865.  We  had  a 
membership  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  church. 

"  The  first  general  meeting  of  our  brotherhood,  or  State 
meeting,  after  he  came,  was  held  at  Louisa  C.  H.,  in  the  fall  of 
1867.  At  that  meeting  the  Doctor  offered  a  resolution  looking  to 
the  division  of  that  organization  into  two  bodies — the  Piedmont 
and  Tidewater  district  co-operations — which  was  done.  At  the 
same  meeting  a  movement  was  made  to  revive  the  State  paper, 
and  Dr.  Hopson  and  Bro.  John  G.  Parrish  were  authorized  and 
requested  to  take  charge  as  editors  of  this  paper,  The  Christian 
Examiner.  The  first  number  was  issued  in  January,  1868.  . 

"  The  first  authoritative  statistical  report  of  the  church  was 
published  in  1867.  The  membership  was  then  450,  many  having 
been  added  during  meetings  held  by  the  Doctor.  The  spring 
meeting,  1868,  raised  the  number  to  507;  the  fall  meeting  to  524. 
Here  the  Doctor's  connection  with  us  ceased,  having  been  our 
pastor  three  years  and  three  months.  He  continued  as  corre- 
sponding editor  of  the  paper  the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  my 
judgment  (and  not  mine  only)  he  was  the  greatest  proclaimer  of 


170  LIFE    OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

the  gospel  I  ever  listened  to.  If  the  few  surviving  co-workers 
with  the  Doctor  while  here  could  be  got  together,  I  have  no 
doubt  many  pleasing,  interesting  and  profitable  reminiscences 
could  be  called  to  mind,  but  it  can  not  now  be  done. 

"I  can  not  let  this  opportunity  pass  without  expressing  my 
sympathy  for  and  interest  in  Dr.  Hopson  and  yourself.  I  remem- 
ber with  pleasure  many  things  of  a  friendly  and  brotherly  nature 
that  passed  between  Bro.  Hopson  and  myself  in  business  and  in 
Christian  intercourse,  as  well  as  in  family  friendship  and  advice. 
I  remember  that  he  baptized  and  married  both  my  daughters. 
You  two  were  the  first  that  came  to  comfort  us  in  that  very,  very 
sad  affliction,  my  daughter's  death,  away  off  from  home  in  a  far 
away  land,  where  we  could  not  even  bury  our  dear  one,  but  had 
to  be  content  with  the  probabilities  that  it  was  properly  and 
kindly  done.  I  remember  how  I  was  comforted,  encouraged, 
confirmed  and  strengthened  by  the  teaching  and  preaching  of 
Dr.  Hopson,  and  therefore  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  express  these 
things  to  you  and  thus  let  you  both  know  you  are  not  forgotten. 

"  Many  of  the  older  members  of  the  church  have  passed 
away,  and  but  few  of  us  who  managed  the  church  affairs  remain, 
and  those  few  are  scattered  and  divided  into  three  churches.  I 
find  the  church  records,  embracing  the  years  of  Bro.  Hopson  's 
stay  with  us,  have  been  lost  or  laid  away  among  the  rubbish  of 
some  deceased  member.  These  things  ought  not  to  be  so,  yet 
they  are. 

"  Brethren  Gary,  Maury,  Magruder,  Fox,  Bowles,  Duval, 
Cutler,  and  many  others,  join  in  Christian  love  to  you  and  all 
yours.  Yours,  in  Christian  love, 

H.  CLEMMITT." 


I  wrote  Bro.  Cutler  to  see  if  he  could  furnish  me  any 
facts  in  regard  to  the  convention  held  by  the  Baptists 
and  the  ministers  of  the  Christian  Church  while  the 
Doctor  was  in  Richmond.  There  were  sixteen  of  the 
representative  men  of  each  church,  who  met  to  discuss 
the  differences  between  their  respective  churches.  Elders 
Burroughs,  Broadus,  Taylor,  Jeter,  Poindexter,  were 
prominent  among  the  Baptists,  while  Wm.  K.  Pendleton, 
of  Bethany  College,  Bro.  James  Goss  and  Dr.  Hopson 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  171 

are  mentioned  as  representing  the  Christian  Church  ;  be- 
sides these  were  Brethren  Shelburn,  Henley,  Ainslier 
Duval,  Crenshaw,  Walthal,  et  al. 

Bro.  Cutler  writes,  April  5,  1887  : 

"Your  letter  of  March  31st  reached  me  Saturday.  In  re- 
sponse to  your  inquiries,  I  send  you  a  copy  of  my  tract,  '  Differ- 
ences between  Baptists  and  Disciples.'  You  will  find  on  the 
eleventh  page  a  notice  of  Dr.  Hopson,  where  he  is  calling  the  at- 
tention of  the  convention  to  the  object  of  the  meeting,  and  where 
he  says:  'Mr.  President,  you  invited  us  here  for  a  friendly  talk 
with  reference  to  union.  We  both  belong  to  the  great  family  of 
immersionists.  We  both  baptize  the  same  character.  We  differ, 
not  in  regard  to  what  God  does,  nor  to  what  the  sinner  must  do. 
We  both  teach  that  men  must  believe,  repent  and  be  baptized. 
We  differ  as  to  the  time  when  God  passes  an  executive  act  in 
his  own  mind.  Will  you  take  the  responsibility  of  saying,  that 
while  we  have  invited  these  people  to  meet  us  in  friendly,  social 
talk  with  reference  to  union,  and  though  we  agree  in  nearly  all 
of  the  eighteen  articles  submitted,  we  will  not  have  church  fel- 
lowship with  them?' 

"  Mr.  John  Hart  (Baptist)  arose  and  said  :  '  We  do  not  agree 
with  Dr.  Hopson,  that  we  both  baptize  the  same  character.  You 
baptize  the  penitent  believer ;  we  baptize  tlie  penitent,  pardoned 
justified  believer.  It  is  time  for  Bro.  Goss's  question  to  be  an- 
swered. As  for  myself  and  church,  we  are  not  willing  to  have 
church  fellowship  with  them  so  long  as  these  differences  exist.' 

"  Bro.  Goss  then  said  :  'Mr.  President,  Bro.  Hart  has  fairly 
and  justly  stated  the  difference  between  us  on  this  question.  We 
both  baptize  the  penitent  believer.  Here  we  begin  to  differ. 
We  baptize  the  penitent  believer.  You  baptize  the  penitent 
pardoned,  justified  believer.  But  there  is  a  practical  difference. 
I  beg  leave  to  illustrate:  A  young  man  comes  to  you,  sir,  and 
tells  you  that  he  believes  in  Jesus  and  repents  of  his  sins,  but  that 
he  has  no  assurance  of  pardon.  He  remembers  that  Jesus  said,. 
"  He  that  believeth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,"  and  he  wishes 
you  to  baptize  him,  that  he  may  claim  the  promise.  You,  sir, 
can  not  baptize  him.  He  comes  to  me,  tells  me  that  he  believes 
in  Jesus,  and  wishes  to  put  himself  under  Christ's  government 
and  care.  I  say  to  him,  "  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away 


172  LIFE    OP    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

thy  sins.'"  He  took  his  seat.  Silence  reigned  a  moment.  To  this 
speech  there  was  no  reply ;  there  could  be  none.  All  felt  its 
power.  The  convention  adjourned." 

The  tract  of  Bro.  L.  A.  Cutler  ought  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  every  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  as  well 
as  of  the  Baptist,  so  that  they  can  see  the  real  difference 
between  the  two  churches,  as  clearly  stated  by  represent- 
ative men  from  both  sides.  It  is  five  cents  a  copy,  and 
can  be  had  of  Bro.  L.  A.  Cutler,  Richmond,  Va. 

Between  Dr.  Burroughs  and  Dr.  Hopson  there  ex- 
isted the  most  fraternal  relations  during  the  whole  of  our 
sojourn  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
Letter  from  Bro.  J.  A.  Gano. 

The  brethren  in  Kentucky  were  constantly  inviting 
him  to  return  and  visit  them.  He  decided  to  do  so  the 
summer  of  1866.  We  left  Richmond  some  time  in  June, 
I  think,  accompanied  by  Miss  Mary  Chockly  and  our 
daughter  Sadie,  who  had  finished  school.  Bro.  Gano 
was  given  the  disposition  of  the  Doctor's  time,  and  of 
course  old  Union  came  in  among  the  first,  and  I  am  in- 
debted to  Bro.  Gano  for  the  history  of  the  visit  to  Ken- 
tucky : 

"  CENTERVILLE,  KY.,  May  4,  1886. 

"  My  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — Since  the  reception  of  yours  of  the 
27th  ult.  I  have  been  indisposed,  but  I  am,  through  mercy,  better 
to-day,  and  proceed  to  write  some  of  the  reminiscences  of  my  as- 
sociation with  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson  in  by-gone  days.  I  first  met  him 
in  Georgetown,  in  the  fall  of  1849.  I  have  a  vivid  memory  of  him 
as  he  then  appeared  in  his  early  manhood,  being  then  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  He  was  erect,  tall  and  spare,  and  of  commanding 
presence. 

"  From  his  first  to  his  last  visit  here,  by  his  clear  presentation 
of  divine  truth,  his  close  adherence  to  the  word  of  God,  and  his 
great  power  as  a  pulpit  orator,  he  has  always  obtained  a  good 
hearing,  fixed  attention,  and  ready  access  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  the  people.  Prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War, 
we  were  associated  in  several  delightful  and  successful  meetings 
in  this  part  of  Kentucky ;  but  when  the  war  came  on  it  made 
havoc  with  much  good  social  and  Christian  feeling.  We  were  in 
the  midst  of  an  interesting  meeting  at  Old  Union,  Fayette  county, 
conducted  by  Bro.  Hopson,  in  July,  1862,  Bro.  Thomas  Allen,  of 
Missouri,  being  with  us,  when  Gen.  John  H.  Morgan  with  hia 

173 


174  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

force,  in  advance  of  the  Southern  troops,  came  into  Kentucky, 
and  some  of  the  soldiers  to  our  neighborhood  ;  this  at  once  put 
an  end  to  our  meeting.  Soon  after  the  Doctor,  for  his  Southern 
.sympathy,  was  arrested,  imprisoned  and  taken  from  us. 

"  When  the  terrible  war  was  over,  and  the  Doctor  was  once 
more  in  our  midst,  restored  in  health,  to  the  church,  and  to  society, 
the  desire  to  see,  and  to  greet  and  to  hear  him  everywhere  was  in- 
tense. I  will  here  copy  a  few  lines  from  my  diary  of  June  29, 
1866. 

"  '  I  met  Bro.  Hopson,  and  other  preachers,  at  Midway. 
About  noon  we  repaired  to  the  church,  and  witnessed  the  exam- 
ination of  the  Orphan  School  girls;  this  continued  until  2  p.  M. 
After  this  we  had  dinner  on  the  ground,  nicely  prepared  and 
served  by  the  ladies  of  the  neighborhood.  A  large  concourse  of 
people  had  assembled.  As  soon  as  dinner  was  over,  Dr.  Hopson, 
standing  in  front  of  the  building,  addressed  the  crowd  for  near 
.an  hour.  He  extended  congratulations  to  his  Kentucky  friends 
on  meeting  them  again  ;  then,  pleading  the  cause  of  the  orphans, 
exhorted  all  to  do  good  to  such.  Soon  after  the  discourse  Bro. 
Hopson  and  I,  taking  leave  of  our  friends,  drove  home  in  my 
rockaway.  Coming  through  Georgetown,  we  found  Mr.  Conn, 
my  wife,  Capt.  John  Conn,  my  two  sons,  Frank  and  John,  Jr., 
awaiting  us,  to  gather  round  and  greet  the  Doctor,  and  give  him  a 
cordial  welcome  back. 

"  Sunday,  July  1st,  about  9  A.  M.,  we  all  set  out  for  meeting 
at  Old  Union.  The  people  in  great  numbers  were  hurrying  on 
to  hear  Bro.  Hopson.  By  11  A.  M.  a  vast  crowd  had  assembled. 
An  awning  had  been  stretched  from  the  house  back  to  the  trees, 
and  under  this  seats  had  been  placed  for  those  who  could  find  no 
room  in  the  house.  The  large  pulpit  window  was  taken  out,  so 
that  the  speaker  could  half  face  those  in  the  house  or  the  crowd 
outside.  It  was  estimated  that  from  two  thousand  to  tw  nty-five 
hundred  were  present. 

"  After  singing  and  prayer,  the  Doctor  discoursed  on  '  Sober- 
ness, Righteousness  and  Godliness.'  At  the  close  of  the  sermon 
my  son  Richard  and  wife,  and  John,  Jr.,  took  membership. 

"The  dinner,  an  ample  repast  prepared  by  the  ladies,  was 
partaken  of  by  the  crowd  upon  the  ground.  Ample  table-room 
had  been  provided. 

"  After  an  hour's  intermission  for  dinner,  we  assembled 
again  for  worship.  Dr.  Hopson  then  addressed  us  on  '  Justifica- 


LIFE    OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON.  175 

tion  by  Faith.'  At  the  end  of  the  discourse  Miss  Boone  came 
forward  and  made  the  good  confession.  We  had  quite  a  number 
at  our  house  to  take  supper  with  Bro.  H.  In  this  order  the  meet- 
ing continued  from  day  to  day  for  nine  days,  Bro.  II.  spcakim,' 
twice  each  day. 

"The  second  Lord's  day  my  son,  R.  M.  Gano,  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  with  fasting  and  prayer.  I  immersed  the  converts 
before  the  morning  service.  We  had  sixteen  added  by  baptism, 
among  them  was  my  son-in-law,  John  W.  Buckner.  Old  Bro. 
Samuel  Rogers  was  with  us  part  of  the  meeting. 

"  I  was  next  with  Bro.  Hopson  at  his  meeting  in  Georgetown, 
Sunday,  July  15th.  By  11  A.  M.  the  house,  a  large  one,  was  filled 
to  overflowing,  and  hundreds  could  gain  no  admittance.  Many 
preachers  were  in  the  crowd  to  hear  Bro.  H.  Thus  he  went  from 
one  congregation  to  another.  Berea,  in  Fayette  county ;  Old  Cane 
Ridge,  in  Bourbon  ;  Newton,  in  Scott,  and  at  other  points  visited 
by  Bro.  H.,  crowds  flocked  to  hear  him.  It  was  indeed  like  one 
vast  ovation.  Laboring  for  days  at  most  of  the  places  visited,  his 
preaching  and  exhortation  were  rewarded  by  great  success  in 
winning  souls  to  Christ.  Eternity  alone  can  reveal  the  vast 
amount  of  good  achieved  by  these  excessive  labors." 

Bro.  Gano's  generosity  did  not  stop  with  words  nor  with 
most  liberal  hospitality.  He  had  given  the  Doctor  a  fine 
calf  before  the  war,  just  before  his  arrest.  Bro.  G.  raised 
the  calf,  sold  it,  and  compelled  the  Doctor  to  take  the  $100 
it  brought.  He  did  this  besides  contributing  liberally 
towards  the  expenses  of  the  meeting.  His  friendship  has 
ever  been  a  precious  boon  to  us.  He  is  now  in  his  eighty- 
second  year.  May  God  long  spare  him  to  the  world, 
where  he  is  still  so  useful.  Sister  Gano,  one  of  the  lov- 
liest  characters  I  ever  knew,  is  still  spared  to  him,  and  is 
five  years  his  junior.  It  is  a  pity  for  the  world  that  such 
people  should  ever  die.  It  was  with  difficulty  the  Doctor 
could  tear  himself  away  from  his  old  friends,  who  were 
urging  him  to  return  to  Kentucky. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Return  to  Richmond. — Our  Family  all  Together.— Our  Daughter's 
Marriage  to  R.  L.  Cave. — Covington  Meeting. — Bro.  Lape's 
Letter. — Call  to  Louisville. — Acceptance. — Motives  Actuating 
Him. — Life  in  Lexington. — Removal. — Raises  Money  to  Fin- 
ish Church. — Wm.  C.  Dawson. — T.  P.  Haley. — Mission  Work. 

After  two  months'  delightful  but  arduous  work,  we 
returned  to  Virginia,  and  found  as  warm  a  welcome  as 
we  had  received  in  our  old  home.  From  the  time  of  the 
Doctor's  return  he  labored  with  renewed  zeal  for  the 
church,  and  met  with  success  and  encouragement. 

We  now  had  a  delightful  family  circle — father, 
mother,  Sadie,  Mr.  Cave,  Dr.  Jenifer  Garnet,  the  Doctor 
and  myself — all  members  of  the  church.  The  following 
year  Mr.  C.  decided  he  would  like  to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  our  family,  and  the  16th  of  May,  1867,  he  was 
married  to  our  daughter  at  Old  Sycamore  Church ;  by 
Dr.  Hopson  himself,  at  her  earnest  solicitation. 

In  the  spring  of  1868  he  hel$  a  meeting  for  the 
church  in  Covington,  Ky.  Bro.  P.  B.  Wiles  was  pastor 
of  the  church  at  that  time.  He  and  Dr.  Hopson  had 
long  been  warm  friends,  though  Bro.  W.  was  several 
years  his  junior.  In  answer  to  some  questions  in  regard 
to  the  meeting,  I  received  the  following  from  Bro.  Lape  : 

"  NEWPORT,  KY.,  Dec.  8th,  1886. 

"  My  Dear  Sister: — Your  favor  of  the  4th  inst.  at  hand,  rela- 
tive to  the  meeting  held  in  Covington,  Ky.,  in  the  year  1868,  at 
the  Fifth  Street  Christian  Church,  by  Bro.  Hopson.     In  reply  I 
176 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  177 

gay,  Bro.  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk  was  holding  a  meeting  for  thebreth. 
ren  at  that  place.  Bro.  V.  having  suddenly  taken  very  ill,  was 
compelled  to  return  home.  Bro.  P.  B.  Wiles,  pastor,  called  and 
informed  me  of  the  fact,  and  wished  to  know  whom  I  would  sug- 
gest as  a  person  w  ho  could  hold  our  audiences  and  continue  the 
meeting.  He  said  he  knew  of  but  one  man.  I  remarked,  that 
was  Dr.  Hopson.  He  responded,  'That  is  the  man.'  I  asked 
him  if  he  wished  the  Doctor  to  come.  '  Yes,'  said  he  ;  but  being 
engaged  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and  a  long  way  off,  it  was  a  question 
whether  or  not  he  would  come.  I  wrote  out  a  dispatch  and  sent 
it,  and  before  dark  the  answer  came:  ' D.  v.,  Mrs.  Hopson  and 
I  will  be  in  Covington  Lord's  day  morning.'  The  Doctor  was  on 
time,  and  preached  at  11  A.  M.  and  at  night,  and  continued,  if  my 
memory  be  correct,  about  two  weeks.  I  sat  in  the  gallery  and 
had  a  good  opportunity  of  judging  the  effect  his  sermons  had 
upon  his  audience.  Never  in  all  my  life,  since  the  days  Bro. 
Challen  preached  in  the  '  old  cooper  shop,'  in  '  an  upper  room,'  at 
the  corner  of  Vine  and  Columbia  streets,  Cincinnati,  (when  I  was 
a  boy  about  three  feet  high),  have  I  seen  such  profound  attention 
as  was  given  by  his  hearers.  It  seemed  the  people  sat  with  ears, 
eyes  and  mouths  open  to  hear  the  Doctor's  clarion  voice  proclaim 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  I  recollect,  some  thirty  persons 
were  gathered  into  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus,  and  I  will 
say  further  that  that  meeting  gave  an  impetus  to  the  six  members 
living  in  Newport,  and  that  not  a  long  while  after,  the  brethren 
built  a  house,  and  have  ever  since  employed  a  preacher. 
"  Your  Brother  in  Christ, 

"Wst.  H.  LAPE." 

We  returned  to  Richmond  the  Jast  of  March,  as  soon 
as  the  meeting  closed.  The  Doctor  had  numerous  invi- 
tations to  remain  in  Kentucky  and  hold  meetings,  but 
had  to  refuse. 

On  our  arrival  at  home,  the  first  news  that  greeted 
us  was  that  a  new  member  had  been  added  to  our  house- 
hold in  the  person  of  a  grandson — Winthrop  Hopson 
Cave.  •  Mathematics  can  not  furnish  figures  enough  to 
compute  the  height  of  the  Doctor's  delight.  He  was 
like  a  child  who  has  just  come  in  possession  of  a 


178  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

long-coveted  treasure,  and  though  eight  more  have  since 
been  added  to  the  family  jewels,  I  do  not  think  any  have 
ever  been  so  precious  as  that  first  one. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Richmond  he  received  a  call 
from  the  Fourth  and  Walnut  Street  Christian  Church,  of 
Louisville,  Ky.  He  at  first  declined  the  call  on  account 
of  an  opposing  element  in  the  church — a  very  small 
minority  of,  I  think,  forty,  all  told,  out  of  the  five  or  six 
hundred  members.  Subsequent  correspondence  devel- 
oped the  fact  that  it  was  solely  on  account  of  politics. 
When  he  learned  this  to  be  the  case,  he  accepted  the  call, 
and  made  arrangements  to  go  to  Louisville  in  Septem- 
ber. He  said  the  war  was  over ;  he  had  as  much  to  for- 
get and  forgive  as  any  one,  and  that  he  did  not  have  in 
his  heart  a  feeling  of  enmity  toward  one  human  being. 
He  felt  confident  that  he  could  overcome  any  prejudice 
growing  out  of  his  conduct  during  the  war.  His  opinion 
proved  correct,  for  we  found  no  better  friends  than  those 
afterward  became,  who  voted  against  his  coming.  Some 
of  them  wished  to  talk  the  matter  over  with  him  and 
make  explanations,  but  he  told  them  to  endeavor  to  for- 
get it  all,  as  he  had,  for  he  had  not  the  least  unkind  feel- 
ing in  his  heart  towards  them ;  and  he  told  the  truth,  for 
it  was  entirely  foreign  to  his  nature  to  harbor  malice. 
They  were  most  excellent  people  and  their  love  was 
worth  winning,  and  we  recall  with  pleasure  the  many 
acts  of  kindness  they  showed  us  while  we  had  the  hap- 
piness to  live  among  them. 

The  Doctor  was  fortunate  in  obtaining  Mr.  Cave's 
consent  to  accompany  us  to  Kentucky.  I  do  not  know 
that  he  could  have  been  prevailed  upon  to  have  left  little 
Winthrop,  even  if  he  could  the  rest  of  the  family. 
There  was  mother,  the  Doctor,  Sadie  and  baby — four 


l.IFK    OF    DK.   W.    II.    HOI'SON.  17!) 

generations.      They    must    not  be   separated,    if  possi- 
ble. 

One  motive  that  actuated  Dr.  Hopson  in  accepting 
(lit-  call  to  Louisville  was,  that  he  might  be  al>le  to  have 
the  society  of  his  brother  preachers  sometimes.  In  Rich- 
mond he  was  very  much  isolated.  Occasionally  Bro. 
R.  Y.  Henley,  Dr.  Duval,  Bro.  Cutler  (then  a  young  and 
promising  speaker),  and  Bro.  Walthal  would  call  a  few 
minutes  on  him,  perhaps  once  or  twice  a  year.  Bro. 
Shelburn  was  our  only  regular  visitor,  and  how  the  Doc- 
tor did  enjoy  his  visits  !  Bro.  Abel  left  Virginia  soon, 
so  that  he  saw  but  little  of  him.  After  Bro.  Parrish 
and  Dr.  H.  began  to  publish  the  Christian  Exam- 
iner, the  Doctor  saw  more  of  him,  but  still  there  was 
from  necessity  a  lack  of  social  intercourse  among  the 
preachers. 

During  our  life  in  Lexington  he  could  go  out  on  the 
street  any  Monday  or  Saturday,  and  he  would  find 
Brethren  Raines,  Ricketts,  Pinkerton,  S.  Rogers,  Ar- 
nold, John  I.  Rogers,  John  Smith ;  and  once  a  month, 
on  court  Mondays,  brethren  Gano,  Bronson,  Brooks, 
and  McGinn  were  almost  sure  to  be  seen  in  the  city. 
The  Doctor  used  often  to  say,  it  was  like  an  elixir  to  him 
to  grasp  the  hand  of  a  brother  who  knew  and  understood 
the  trials  of  a  preacher's  life  and  could  sympathize  with 
him. 

Notwithstanding  the  attractions  in  our  old  Kentucky 
home,  it  was  with  reluctance  we  left  the  tried  and  true 
friends  we  had  made  in  Virginia,  and  many  tearful  and 
sad  farewells  were  spoken  by  the  many  who  followed 
us  to  the  depot.  We  left  Virginia  after  a  residence  of 
five  years  and  four  months,  three  years  and  three  months 
being  spent  with  the  Richmond  Church. 


180  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

When  we  arrived  in  Louisville  we  were  not  strangers, 
the  Doctor  having  held  a  meeting  of  weeks  there,  in  1860, 
for  the  Hancock  Street  Church,  which  congregation  was 
now  worshiping  at  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and  Floyd 
Streets.  Very  many  of  the  members  of  the  Fourth  and 
Walnut  Street  Church  had  attended  the  meeting ;  thus 
we  were  familiar  with  the  members  of  both  churches, 
and  at  home  in  either. 

The  Doctor  found  the  church  in  a  good  condition, 
and  ready  to  cooperate  with  him  in  every  good  work. 
Bro.  Thomas  Arnold,  of  Frankfort,  had  preceded  him, 
and  made  a  good  impression  both  in  and  out  of  the 
church.  His  leaving  Louisville  was  not  on  account  of 
any  dissatisfaction,  but  simply  because  he  did  not  like 
city  life,  and  his  family  were  unwilling  to  leave  their 
beautiful  country  home  for  the  dust  and  heat  of  the  me- 
tropolis. 

One  great  drawback  was  the  unfinished  condition  of 
the  church  building.  The  windows  were  boarded  up,  no 
steps  in  front,  the  upper  part  a  grand  pigeon  roost.  The 
members  had  been  worshiping  in  the  basement  for  years. 
The  Doctor's  first  work  was  to  finish  the  house.  The 
architect  was  consulted,  and  said  that  twenty -three  or  four 
thousand  dollars  would  be  ample.  The  Doctor  told  the 
church  it  must  be  raised  at  once.  It  was  a  large  sum  of 
money  to  be  given  by  a  church  that  had  already  contrib- 
uated  so  largely,  but  in  a  few  weeks  he  had  twenty-seven 
thousand  subscribed,  and  inside  of  a  year  it  was  ready 
for  occupancy  ;  but  it  took  ten  thousand  more  to  finish  it 
than  the  architect  calculated.  This  amount  he  would  not 
attempt  to  raise — it  was  borrowed ;  the  debt  was  funded 
and  paid  afterward. 

The  Doctor  was  fortunate  in  having  an  efficient  corps 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  181 

of  officers  in  the  church.  His  deacons  were  all  men  of 
good  business  sense,  and  the  financial  affairs  ran  smoothly. 
The  Louisville  Church  spent  more  money  on  the  poor 
fund  than  any  church  we  ever  lived  in — house  rent,  coal 
and  clothing  was  between  $900  and  $1,000.  One  year 
the  church  paid  $400  for  funeral  expenses  for  its  poor. 
Dr.  Hopson  always  urged  the  church  to  take  care  of  its 
worthy  poor.  If  they  were  unworthy,  exclude  them,  and 
not  have  the  double  disgrace  of  keeping  bad  people  in 
the  church  and  neglecting  tliem. 

Bro.  Wni.  C.  Dawson  was  preaching  for  the  Floyd  and 
Chestnut  Streets  Church  when  we  located  in  Louisville. 
He  was  in  the  transitional  state  between  the  Christian 
Church  and  the  Episcopal.  The  idea  that  we  were  not 
under  law  as  advocated  by  some  of  our  teachers  had 
taken  firm  possession  of  his  mind,  and  he  reasoned  that 
God  gave  definite  and  specific  laws  at  Mt.  Sinai  to  govern 
the  Jewish  nation,  his  chosen  people ;  but  as  he  had  not 
said,  "  Thou  shalt,"  and  "  Thou  shalt  not,"  under  the 
Christian  dispensation,  therefore  the  church  was  left  to  de- 
vise the  best  ways  and  means  to  govern  herself,  and  every 
man  became  a  law  unto  himself.  In  vain  his  uncle,  Dr. 
T.  S.  Bell,  and  Dr.  Hopson  argued  with  him  and  showed 
him  that  "  where  there  is  no  law  there  is  no  sin,"  for  "  sin 
is  the  transgression  of  law,"  and  that  God  did  not  leave 
his  last  and  crowning  dispensation  without  laws  to  govern 
it.  In  the  commission  given  in  Matt,  xxviii.  20  Christ 
said  to  his  apostles,  "  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  A  command  is 
the  expressed  will  of  God,  and  becomes  a  law  without 
the  "  Thou  shalt "  or  "  Thou  shalt  not."  I.  John  iii.  23, 
"This  is  his  commandment,  That  we  believe."  Acts 
xvii.  30,  "The  times  of  this  ignorance  God  winked  at; 


182  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

but  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent." 
Acts  x.  48,  "  And  he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  or  by  his  authority.  These 
were  certainly  commandments  as  binding  and  as  distinctly 
embodyi n«:  law  as  any  in  the  Decalogue.  If  these  three 
were  binding  upon  man,  were  not  the  hundreds  of  others 
given  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the 
the  apostles  in  the  Bible  ? 

In  spite  of  reason  and  revelation,  he  took  the  step 
which  severed  his  connection  with  the  church  of  his 
fathers,  and  »>ent  him  into  undeserved  obscurity.  It  was 
a  source  of  deep  sorrow  to  the  Doctor,  for  he  was  very 
much  attached  to  him. 

Bro.  T.  P.  Haley  succeeded  Bro.  Dawson  in  the  Floyd 
Street  Church,  and  in  him  the  Doctor  found  an  earnest 
co-worker.  There  was  perfect  harmony  between  the 
churches,  and  they  worked  together  as  one,  in  building 
up  the  cause  in  Louisville.  Brethren  O.  P.  Miller,  Owen* 
Baker,  Miller,  Crump,  Snyder,  et  al.,  were  always  ready 
to  cooperate  with  the  Doctor.  As  soon  as  the  church 
was  completed,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  planting 
of  a  mission  church  on  Fifteenth  and  Jefferson  Streets. 
With  the  assistance  of  his  own  congregation  and  the 
above-named,  they  soon  had  a  neat  little  building  ready 
to  worship  in,  and  a  few  months  later  Bro.  James  Keith 
was  placed  in  charge,  and  in  a  few  years  he  and  the 
brethren  associated  with  him  built  up  a  good  congrega- 
tion. By  this  mission,  Fourth  and  Walnut  lost  several 
excellent  members  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  new 
church. 

By  this  time  the  spirit  of  missions  had  obtained  full 
possession  of  our  people  in  the  city,  and  Floyd  street  made 
preparations  to  swarm.  A  location  was  selected  in  the 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  183 

upper  part  of  the  city,  a  hall  secured,  and  Brethren  Rubel 
and  Baker  began  to  gather  the  nucleus  of  another  congre- 
gation, which  has  become  a  flourishing  church. 

I  would  not  have  any  one  suppose  that  I  am  intima- 
ting that  Dr.  Hopson  was  the  sole  instigator  of  the  re- 
ligious "  boom  "  in  the  Christian  Church  in  Louisville, 
but  I  mean  to  say  he  took  a  very  deep  interest  in  every 
movement  made  to  build  up  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  was 
always  ready  in  every  way  to  meet  every  demand  made 
upon  him. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Bible  School  for  Colored  Young  Men. — Interest  in  Colored 
Church. — Encouragement. — Substantial  Aid. — Three  Letters 
from  Students  of  the  School. 

Dr.  Hopson  felt  a  deep  concern  in  the  future  of  the 
colored  race.  He  felt  that  some  steps  ought  to  be  taken 
to  educate  a  ministry  of  their  own  color  to  go  among 
them  and  preach  the  gospel  as  taught  by  our  brethren. 
He  determined  to  inaugurate  a  Bible  school  to  be  taught 
in  Louisville. 

He  met  with  considerable  opposition  and  not  much 
encouragement.  There  was  no  house  for  the  school  to 
meet  in;  there  was  no  place  for  the  pupils  to  board,  and, 
if  there  had  been,  they  had  no  money  to  pay  with,  and 
where  would  the  school  procure  a  teacher?  All  these 
objeetions  were  urged. 

A  good  many  of  the  brethren  gave  to  the  work  be- 
cause they  would  give  to  any  work  that  the  Doctor  urged 
upon  them,  but  with  little  faith  in  .the  result.  By  Sep- 
tember the  school  room  and  church  were  ready  and  a 
teacher  procured — Bro.  C.  H.  Moss.  The  brethren  had 
secured  homes  for  as  many  as  had  made  application.  The 
school  opened  with  twenty-one  or  twenty-two.  We  took 
one,  and  he  proved  a  faithful  servant.  They  all  were 
more  than  willing  to  work  for  their  board,  so  anxious 
were  they  to  gain  an  education.  Dr.  Hopson  visited  the 
school  two  or  three  times  a  week  until  they  were  fully 
under  way  with  their  studies. 

184     ' 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  185 

He  presented  their  claims  to  the  Missionary  Board  at 
Indianapolis  the  following  October,  and  they  promised  and 
gave  some  assistance  in  the  way  of  paying  teacher  and 
furnishing  books.  Brethren  Haley,  Gait  Miller,  Dr.  H. 
and  others  would  frequently  preach  for  the  colored 
church  which  grew  up  rapidly  around  them. 

I  will  here  insert  three  letters — one  from  Bro.  Julius 
Graves,  preaching  in  Paris;  one  from  H.  S.  Berry,  and 
one  from  Preston  Taylor. 

"  PARIS,  Ky.,  May  26,  1886. 
*'  MRS.  ELLA  L.  HOPSON  : 

"  Dear  Sister : — It  seems  to  me  that  an  attempt  to  give  a  his- 
tory of  Dr.  Hopson's  life  would  be  incomplete  without  a  chapter 
devoted  to  that  cause  which  he  always  took  so  much  pleasure  in ; 
namely,  the  welfare  of  the  colored  people,  and  especially  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  among  them.  Therefore  I  write 
this  letter  without  any  attempt  at  eulogistic  painting,  but  simply 
as  acquaintance  and  thankfulness  dictate. 

"  It  was  in  the  pleasant  month  of  September,  1873,  that  I 
arrived  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  to  attend  the  Bible  School 
opened  by  the  General  Missionary  Board  for  the  education  of 
worthy  and  energetic  colored  men  to  preach  and  teach  among 
their  own  people.  Dr.  Hopson  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
that  operated  and  controlled  ihe  above-named  school.  My  name 
was  the  first  enrolled  on  the  school  register  as  a  student  of  the 
Bible  School. 

"  On  landing  in  the  city  among  strangers,  having  been  pre- 
viously directed,  I  at  once  sought  the  residence  of  Bro.  J.  D. 
Smith,  who  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  colored  church.  I  re- 
mained with  him  all  night,  and  the  next  morning,  in  company 
with  several  other  young  men,  all  intended  students,  we  sought 
the  office  of  Dr.  Hopson,  and  found  him  seated  in  his  library  hard 
at  work.  A  rap  at  the  door  had  the  welcome  response,  'Come  in, 
young  brethren.' 

'*  When  all  were  seated,  then  began  the  planning  for  our 
homes  and  comfort  while  we  were  to  attend  school.  We  were 
almost  without  money,  there  not  being  more  than  ten  dollars 
among  us  a\\,  thus  making  us  almost  entirely  dependent  upon 


186  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Dr.  Hopson.  He  set  about  getting  us  homes  among  the  people 
of  Louisville.  A  few  efforts  soon  secured  us  homes,  where  we 
worked  nights  and  mornings,  Saturdays  and  Sundays  too,  with 
few  exceptions,  to  pay  for  our  board  and  lodging. 

"The  school  opened,  with  Prof.  C.  H.  Moss  as  teacher.  Dr. 
Hopson  never  ceased  to  appeal  to  the  people  in  behalf  of  the 
Colored  Bible  School.  It  is  said,  'The  evil  that  men  do  lives 
after  them,  the  good  is  often  interred  with  their  bones.'  The  in- 
terest manifested  by  Dr.  H.  toward  the  colored  people,  and  the 
good  done  by  him,  can  never  be  forgotten.  To-day  the  pulpits  of 
Baltimore,  Indianapolis,  Montgomery,  Jacksonville,  Mt.  Sterling, 
Carlisle,  Millersburg,  Louisville,  Paris,  Xenia,  and  many  others, 
are  filled  with  men  educated  at  the  Louisville  Bible  School.  In 
fact,  I  know  but  few  successful  preachers  in  the  Christian  Church 
who  did  not  get  their  training  in  this  school. 

"  There  are  none  of  us  that  know  the  Doctor  as  well  as  I  do, 
for  I  lived  with  him  during  my  entire  stay  in  the  school,  and  it 
was  in  his  house  I  heard  the  Lord  praised  daily,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life  I  witnessed  family  worship,  although  I  was  eigh- 
teen years  old. 

"  I  never  visit  Louisville  but  that  I  take  a  walk  on  Seventh 
Street,  and  it  is  with  keen  pleasure  I  look  up  at  155,  for  God 
knows  it  is  a  dear  spot  to  me. 

"  While  I  write,  my  heart  swells  with  emotion  and  thankful- 
ness to  God  for  having  given  the  world  this  great  and  good  man — 
Dr.  Hopson.  I  can  not  close  this  letter  without  saying  that  his 
wife  united  wholly  with  him  in  his  efforts  to  help  the  students. 
No  one  ever  went  to  their  door  for  food  or  aid  but  that  they  re- 
ceived it,  even  though  it  cost  a  sacrifice  for  them  to  give  it. 

"  May  God's  blessing  rest  upon  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  while 
they  live,  and  may  all  the  boys — students— meet  them  in  Paradise. 
"  I  am  truly  yours,  J.  C.  GRAVES." 

"  MILLEBSBURG,  Ky.,  Dec.  9,  1886. 
"  MRS.  E.  L.  HOPSON  : 

"  My  Dear  Madam : — Nothing  could  give  me  more  pleasure 
than  a  compliance  with  the  request  expressed  in  your  letter.  An 
expression  on  the  part  of  a  student  of  the  Louisville  Bible 
School  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  the  great  man  whose  life 
you  are  now  writing  was  held  by  the  students,  requires  no  studied 
diction,  but  flows  naturally  forth  from  an  appreciative  heart.  I 


LIFE    OF    DR.   U.    II.    Jioi'.-nv  187 

feel  assured  that  every  student  will  acquiesce  in  the  statements 
herein  made. 

"  He  was  respected  because  his  manly  bearing  demanded  it; 
he  was  honored  because  he  labored  to  establish  a  medium  through 
which  the  blessings  of  that  God,  and  the  love  of  that  Christ  that 
had  touched  his  heart,  might  touch  the  hearts  of  a  down-trodden 
and  long-oppressed  people ;  he  was  loved  because  he  was  good 
and  great  in  noble  deeds,  and  the  book  we  all  should  love  teaches 
us  to  be  '  lovers  of  good  men.' 

"  He  saw  the  need  of  an  educated  ministry  to  rescue  the  race 
from  a  religious  Babylon ;  hence  his  earnest  efforts  to  attain  that 
end.  Even  in  securing  homes  for  the  young  men  none  did  more 
than  he,  and  few  as  much.  His  great  physique  was  foremost  in 
the  van ;  his  great  mind  led  in  counsel,  and  his  great  heart  was 
aglow  with  zeal  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  He  assisted  in 
sowing  seeds  that  have  grown  to  great  trees,  and  the  birds  are  rest- 
ing in  the  boughs  thereof. 

"  Painful  will  it  be  to  all  our  hearts  to  learn  the  sad  news  that 
Time  is  touching  him  heavily.  God  grant  that  the  days  that  yet 
remain  may  catch  copious  gleams  of  pleasure  from  the  path  of 
past  usefulness,  and  more  still  from  the  promised  home  above. 
The  tenderest  sympathies  of  my  poor  heart  are  with  you  both, 
an  '  my  prayers  are  that  the  sands  that  are  now  passing  the  glass 
may  be  sands  of  gold,  while  time  binds  your  hearts  closer  to  the 
eternal  shore. 

"  With  deep  sympathy,  I  am 

"  Very  Respectfully  Yours, 

"  H.  S.  BERRY." 

Bro.  Preston  Taylor,  another  Bible  student  of  the 
Louisville  school,  sends  me  the  following  tribute  to  the 
Doctor  : 

"  NASHVILLE,  Tenn.,  April  1,  1887. 
"  Mrs.  W.  H.  HdPsox  : 

"  Dear  Madam  .-—Having  understood  you  are  writing  the  his- 
tory of  your  noble  husband's  life,  I  would  feel  derelict  in  duty 
did  I  not  offer  my  congratulations  on  your  undertaking,  though  I 
am  persuaded  you  nor  any  other  author  can  do  such  a  character 
justice.  No  one  can  know  the  result  of  his  life-work  until  it  is 
unfolded  to  us  in  the  great  hereafter. 


188  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  His  kind  words,  noble  deeds  and  good  works,  both  private 
and  public,  are  written  on  thousands  of  hearts;  some  of  them  are 
witnesses  before  the  throne  of  God,  while  others  are  still  here. 
He  has  distinguished  himself  as  an  orator,  minister,  writer  and 
counselor.  This  world  has  given  Us  few  men  his  equal  in  all  that 
goes  to  make  up  a  great  worker  for  the  good  of  his  fellow-men. 
He  is  humane  in  the  broadest  sense.  He  is  not  bound  in  his 
sympathy  by  race,  color  or  condition ;  but  wherever  the  commis- 
sion of  Jesus  pointed  him,  he  went  and  has  always  done  his 
whole  duty. 

"  While  pastor  of  the  Fourth  and  Walnut  Street  Church,  in 
Louisville,  he  secured  a  minister  for  the  colored  people,  fitted  up 
a, hall,  and  had  the  work  begun  among  them;  and  as  soon  as  a 
good  congregation  had  been  organized,  he  had  a  lot  bought  and 
a  good,  substantial  brick  edific  •  built  on  it  for  them.  And  through 
his  timely  act  we  have  a  large  congregation  in  that  city  now ;  and 
when  a  Bible  School  was  opened,  largely  through  his  influence, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  colored  young  men  of  our  church  to  study 
for  the  ministry,  he  secured  homes  for  them  (taking  one  in  hia 
own  family),  where  they  could  secure  board  and  lodging  for  their 
work  while  attending  school. 

"  He  has  been  one  of  the  strong  men  of  the  Reformation,  and 
his  great  powers  have  been  used  to  bring  many,  many  thousands 
to  acknowledge  the  power  of  the  cross. 

"  His  untimely  affliction  is  mourned  by  the  whole  brother- 
hood, and  their  prayers  of  sympathy  ascend  to  the  Giver  of  all 
good  in  his  behalf. 

"  He  is  my  father  in  the  gospel,  and  a  large  share  of  my  suc- 
cess in  the  ministry  is  due  to  him.  His  advice  and  counsel  have 
always  been  freely  given. 

"  A  rich  reward  awaits  him  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  many 
will  be  the  stars  in  his  crown  of  glory. 

"  Very  Respectfully, 

"  PRESTON  TAYLOR." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Bro.  Grubbs'  Letter. — House  Full  of  Boarders. — Aunt  Mima. — 
Bought  a  Home. — Last  Payment  on  Missouri  Debt.— Preach- 
ers' Wives. — Dr.  Hopson  a  Good  Financier. — His  Desire  for 
Rest. — His  Resignation. — Press  Notice. 

I  will  here  insert  a  letter  from  Bro.  I.  B.  Grubbs,  as 
it  refers  particularly  to  his  work  in  Louisville: 

"  LEXINGTON,  Ky.,  Jan.  3,  1887. 

"Dear  Sister  Hopson : — Herewith  I  enclose  my  estimate  of  the 
character  of  Bro.  Hopson.    You  will  read  it  as  the  sincere  out- 
pourings of  my  heart.     Please  read  it  to  him.     I  want  him  to 
know  the  estimation  in  which  he  has  ever  been  held  by  me. 
DR.  WINTHROP  H.  HOPSON. 

"  It  was  in  1860  that  I  first  saw  that  ngble  man  of  God.  He 
was  standing  in  the  pulpit  in  old  Hancock  St.  Church,  in  Louis- 
ville, in  the  midst  of  a  most  interesting  protracted  meeting. 

"  It  was  not  long  after  his  Cincinnati  meeting,  in  which  that 
great  city  was  profoundly  agitated  by  his  might  as  a  preacher. 
My  interest  in  him,  therefore,  was  intensified  as  I  beheld  for  the 
first  time  his  manly  form  and  felt  the  power  of  his  enchaining 
eloquence.  Those  who  knew  and  heard  Dr.  Hopson  in  the  days 
of  his  undiminished  strength  and  full  splendor  of  his  ministerial 
gifts,  can  never  forget  his  leonine  appearance,  his  imposing 
presence,  his  personal  magnetism,  and  his  wonderful  power  in 
the  pulpit  over  the  immense  audiences  that  gathered  to  hear  his 
discourses.  On  arising  before  them  his  very  attitude  and  manner 
inspired  all  with  the  conviction  that  a  rich  feast  of  soul  was  in 
store  for  them— and  in  this  expectation  they  were  not  disap- 
pointed. Very  few  men  have  been  blessed  with  such  a  felicitous 
combination  of  personal  graces  and  advantages  and  intellectual 
endowments  as  Winthrop  H.  Hopson.  The  majesty  of  a  splendid 
physique  never  fails  to  augment  and  emphasize  the  power  of 
mind. 

189 


190  LIFE   OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSCXN. 

"  If  I  ain  asked  what  I  regard  as  the  special  feature  in  which 
the  ministerial  excellence  of  Dr.  Hopson  was  manifested,  my  an- 
swer would  be,  in  his  matchless  power  of  expression,  the  varying 
charms  and  well  sustained  force  of  his  diction,  combined  with 
the  wonderful  clearness  with  which  he  stated  his  positions  and 
set  forth  his  reasons  to  support  them. 

''No  one  ever  complained  of  vagueness  or  indistinctness  of 
meaning  in  any  sermon  of  Dr.  Hopson's.  His  hearers  might  be 
borne  along  upon  the  resistless  tide  of  his^loquence,  but  they 
failed  not  to  receive  edification  from  the  simplicity  of  treatment 
and  lucid  method  of  presentation  in  the  discussion  of  his  theme. 

"  His  was  pre-eminently  the  power  of  the  true  orator,  whose 
function  it  is  both  to  convince  and  to  persuade.  Such  was  Dr. 
Hopson  before  the  insidious  influence  of  disease  invaded  his 
system,  and  by  its  stealthy  progress  undermined  his  physical 
strength  and  mental  condition. 

"  But  as  greatly  as  I  appreciated  the  personal  and  intellect- 
ual gifts  with  which  Dr.  Hopson  was  endowed,  there  was  that  in 
him  which  called  forth  my  admiiation  in  a  yet  higher  degree.  I 
speak  now  of  his  large  heartedness,  his  breadth  of  soul,  the  un- 
surpassed generosity  and  unselfishness  of  his  disposition.  With 
a  keen  appreciation  of  the  merits  of  others,  he  made  reference  to 
their  just  deserts  without  stint  of  expression. 

"  Friendship  was  no  mere  word  upon  his  lips  or  mere  senti- 
ment in  his  heart.  When  he  could  confer  a  favor,  he  would  do 
so  with  all  his  heart,  even  at  the  expense  of  self-sacrifice  or  great 
inconvenience.  This  testimony  to  his  moral  excellency  is  not 
grounded  on  superficial  acquaintance,  but  on  closeness  of  associ- 
ation in  personal  friendship  and  ministerial  work.  During  a 
part  of  the  period  of  his  protracted  ministry  in  Louisville,  serv- 
ing the  large  and  influential  Christian  congregation  at  the  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Walnut  streets,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  labor 
for  another  congregation  in  that  city,  and  thus  to  be  brought  into 
intimate  relations  with  this  good  and-gifted  man  It  was  a  con- 
stant source  of  pleasure  to  me  to  enjoy  his  society,  his  good 
counsel  and  co-operation  in  the  advocacy  and  defense  of  the 
great  cause  which  lay  very  near  to  our  hearts.  I  thus  learned  to 
know  and  appreciate  the  moral  worth  as  well  as  the  intellectual 
power  of  Dr.  Hopson,  and  to  love  on  account  of  the  goodness 
most  clearly  discerned  by  those  who  stood  in  the  closest  connec- 
tion with  him. 


LIFE   OF    DK.   Ur.    II.    1 1  ORSON.  191 

"  As  might  be  supposed,  •)  111:111  <>i  tin-  .l-'-rription  just  givrn 
•would  prove  true  in  liis  devotion  to  the  Christian  religion.  Of 
this  we  speak  last,  for  this,  indeed,  was  the  most  admirable  trait 
of  Dr.  Hopson's  character.  Unswerving  in  conviction  as  to  the 
truth  which  he  advocated  and  loved  with  all  his  great  soul,  he 
was  uncompromising  in  its  maintenance  and  preservation  in  all 
its  integrity,  simplicity  and  purity. 

"  The  faith  of  his  own  heart  in  the  perfect  adaptation  of  the 
religion  of  the  New  Testament  to  the  wants  and  condition  of  the 
present  generation,  he  forcibly  urged  with  a  heroic  daring  and  a 
loftiness  of  spirit  that  evinced  the  protound  seriousness  by  which 
he  was  inspired  ;  and  this  earnest  faith  pertained  not  merely  to 
what  are  called  the  elements  of  the  gospel,  but  to  the  all-suffi- 
ciency of  New  Testament  Christianity  as  a  whole,  in  all  its  prac- 
tical bearings  and  results. 

"  May  the  cause  of  Christ  find  in  every  age  such  true  and 
earnest  advocates  as  Winthrop  H.  Hopson. 

"  I.  B.  GRUBBS." 

The  love  Bro.  Grubbs  bore  Dr.  Hopson  met  with  a 
hearty  response,  and  their  communion  and  fellowship 
was  perfect.  They  rested  in  each  other's  companionship 
and  love,  each  a  mutual  support  to  the  other. 

Before  the  close  of  the  first  year  in  Louisville,  Mr. 
Cave  had  been  prevailed  upon  by  the  brethren  in  Lex- 
ington to  enter  the  Bible  College  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  ministry.  This  step  met  the  Doctor's  hearty  ap- 
proval. He  has  never  regretted  the  encouragement  he 
gave  him.  No  father  could  be  prouder  of  a  son,  and 
he  has  proved  himself  a  "workman  that  needeth  not  to 
be  ashamed." 

After  Mr.  Cave  and  family  removed  to  Lexington,  I 
proposed  to  the  Doctor  that  as  we  had  such  heavy  rent 
to  pay,  we  should  take  some  boarders,  which  would  en- 
able us  to  save  a  large  portion  of  his  salary  towards 
paying  his  debts.  He  consented  reluctantly,  as  he  was 
always  indisposed  to  have  a  house  full  of  strangers.  We 


192  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

were  very  fortunate  in  securing  delightful  boarders,  all 
members  of  the  Christian  Church — Sister  Pittman  and 
her  daughter  Anna,  Brother  and  Sister  F.  Spears,  and 
old  Sister  Anderson,  who  was  a  Miss  Lewis,  of  Virginia, 
and  an  own  niece  of  Gen.  Washington.  We  did  not 
love  her  so  much  for  the  last  mentioned  fact  as  for  her 
pure  and  noble  Christian  life.  These,  with  father  and 
mother  Fife,  the  Doctor  and  myself,  made  up  a  very 
happy  family.  I  should  have  added  Aunt  Mima,  our 
faithful  and  devoted  Christian  servant,  who  left  all  and 
followed  us  from  Richmond,  and  who  still  links  her  for- 
tunes with  ours.  Everybody  that  ever  visited  our  house 
will  remember  her,  and  her  cheerful  attention  to  guests. 

Early  in  1872  he  decided  to  buy  a  home,  on  which 
he  could  pay  what  he  was  expending  in  rent  and  a  little 
more  each  year,  until  he  should  own  it.  He  bought  a 
comfortable  house  on  Seventh  street,  and  we  moved  into 
it,  taking  all  our  family  except  Sister  Anderson,  who 
went  to  her  son's  to  live.  The  house  and  repairs  cost 
Dr.  Hopson  $3,000.  January,  1873,  he  made  the  last 
payment  on  his  Missouri  debts.  By  the  time  he  had 
paid  the  debt  of  $8,000,  the  whole  expenditure,  includ- 
ing the  accumulated  compound  interest  during  his  im- 
prisonment and  stay  South,  when  he  was  unable  to  pay 
anything,  amounted  to  $22,000.  Preachers  are  generally 
considered  poor  financiers.  I  do  not  believe  it.  Very 
few  that  I  have  known  ever  had  anything  to  financier 
on.  Most  of  our  preachers  have  just  about  salary 
enough  to  keep  body  and  soul  together,  properly  clothed, 
and  take  care  of  their  usually  rapidly  increasing  progeny, 
and  it  takes  splendid  financiering  to  do  it  in  many  in- 
stances. 

One  great  trouble  about  preachers  is  their  lack  of 


LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    II.    HOP8ON.  193 

judgment  in  marrying.  They  frequently  secure  wives 
who  are  neither  dressmakers,  tailors,  milliners,  shoe- 
makers, nor  washerwomen.  A  preacher's  wife  should  be 
all  these,  besides  being  "  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves."  I  do  not  believe  there  is  another  position  in  the 
world  a  woman  is  called  upon  to  fill  that  takes  the  same 
amount  of  patience,  prudence  and  discretion  as  that  of  a 
preacher's  wife,  and,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  I 
think  our  preachers  have  excellent  wives. 

With  Dr.  Hopson's  liberality  in  church  matters,  his 
generosity  to  the  poor,  and  his  kindness  to  those  depend- 
ing on  him  for  support,  he  was  the  best  financier  I  have 
ever  met.  All  this  while  he  was  carrying  an  insurance 
of  $10,000— $5,000  for  the  benefit  of  his  creditors  and 
$5,000  for  his  family,  at  an  expense  of  about  $300  a 
year  for  both.  The  Piedmont  and  Arlington,  of  Vir- 
ginia, failed  while  he  was  so  ill  ten  years  ago,  and  he 
lost  the  $1,600  he  had  paid  in  premiums. 

He  was  very  happy  when  the  last  dollar  of  that  Mis- 
souri debt  was  paid,  and  he  felt  he  was  a  free  man.  The 
labor  and  anxiety  of  the  preceding  years  began  to  tell 
upon  his  iron  constitution.  During  much  of  his  pastor- 
ate in  Louisville  he  was  associate  editor  of  the  Apostolic 
Times,  which  originated  with  Brethren  Wilkes,  Graham, 
Lard,  McGarvey  and  himself.  His  connection  with  the 
paper  was  never  of  any  financial  benefit  to  him,  and  if 
the  co-editors  made  any  money  out  of  it  I  never  heard 
of  it. 

During  our  last  year  in  Louisville  the  Doctor  used 
often  to  say  to  me,  "  Ella,  I  must  rest;  I  am  so  tired  of 
this  hurry  and  bustle."  At  length  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  resign  the  charge  of  the  church  and  evangelize — take 


194  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

up  our  old  Bohemian  life.      I  copy  the  following  from 
the  Courier-Journal  of  March  1,  1874: 

"  On  Sunday  last  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson,  pastor  of  the  Fourth 
and  Walnut  Sts.  Christian  Church  of  this  city,  tendered  his 
resignation,  to  take  effect  the  last  Lord's  day  in  May. 

"This  announcement  gave  much  surprise  to  his  congrega- 
tion, but  very  few  being  informed  of  his  intention,  and  many  re- 
grets have  been  expressed  for  his  taking  such  a  step.  Dr.  Hop- 
son  has  been  connected  with  this  church  six  years,  and  within 
that  time  has  done  much  for  the  increase  and  edification  of  his 
congregation,  and  has  at  all  times,  by  reason  of  his  eminence  as 
a  divine  and  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher,  commanded  one  of  the 
largest  audiences  in  the  city. 

"  He  is  known  to  be,  as  he  deserves  to  be,  one  of  the  foremost 
men  in  his  denomination.  Pointed  and  powerful  as  a  thinker, 
clear  and  demonstrative  as  a  speaker,  he  enjoys  a  reputation 
widespread  and  enviable.  He  leaves  his  congregation  in  this 
cityiin  the  height  of  his  popularity,  as  a  matter  of  his  own  choos- 
ing, preferring  for  the  present  to  go  into  the  '  general  field,'  where 
he  can  enjoy  more  rest  and  accomplish,  he  thinks,  as  much  good. 

"  We  are  glad  to  learn,  however,  that  Louisville  will  be  his 
home  for  the  most  part,  so  that  his  friends  may  still  hope  to  enjoy 
occasionally  his  influence  and  teaching." 

It  was  with  great  reluctance  he  took  this  step,  but  he 
felt  he  could  no  longer  bear  the  strain  the  care  of  such  a 
large  church  entailed  upon  the  minister. 

We  broke  up  housekeeping  at  once,  and  mother  and 
father  went  to  Lexington  to  stay  with  Mr.  Cave  until  we 
were  once  more  settled. 

We  bade  a  sorrowful  farewell  to  the  beloved  friends 
in  Louisville  (we  alone  knew  how  dear  they  were  to  us), 
and  began  our  journey  towards  the  setting  sun. 

We  spent  the  summer  traveling  through  Missouri, 
visiting  many  of  the  churches  for  which  the  Doctor  had 
held  meetings  long  years  before.  He  enjoyed  meeting 


LIFE   OF    DH.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  195 

with  his  old  friends  so  much,  his  tour  was  a  perpetual 
feast  to  him. 

We  visited  many  of  our  old  school-girls,  who  were 
delighted  to  see  us  again.  They  were  all  anxious  for  us 
to  build  up  a  school,  where  they  could  send  their  chil- 
dren to  us.  He  told  them  he  was  not  able  to  run  any 
more  risks. 


CHAPTER   XXX'IV. 

Leave  Louisville. — Travel  Through  Missouri. — Call  to  St  Louis. — 
Social  Meetings. — Presidency  of  Christian  University  Urged 
upon  Him.  —  Acceptance. — Silver  Wedding.  —  Removal  to 
Canton. — Felt  Settled  for  Life. — Bible  College  and  Students. 
— Prospects  Promising. — Trip  in  the  Interest  of  the  Univers' 
ity.— His  Illness. — Mr.  Cave's  Arrival  and  Invaluable  Aid. — 
His  Mother's  Death. — His  Partial  Recovery. — Unable  to 
Teach. — Able  to  Preach. — Returned  to  Lexington,  Ky. — Re- 
laspe. — His  Old  Church  in  Palmyra. — His  Last  Field  of 
Labor. — His  Patience  Under  Affliction. 

Before  the  summer  trip  was  over  he  received  a  call 
to  take  charge  of  the  church  meeting  at  the  corner  of 
Seventeenth  and  Olive  Streets,  St.  Louis.  The  brethren 
were  very  urgent,  and,  though  preferring  to  evangelize, 
he  accepted  the  invitation.  The  church  was  small  com- 
pared to  the  church  in  Louisville,  not  numbering  half 
the  membership,  and  the  work  was  not  so  arduous.  The 
first  six  months  we  boarded  with  our  old  friends,  John 
G.  Allen  and  wife,  formerly  of  Lexington,  where  we  were 
made  very  happy.  The  Doctor  then  began  to  long  for 
his  mother,  and  we  went  to  housekeeping  on  Pine  Street, 
near  the  church,  where  the  dear  old  people  could  go  to 
church  night  or  day.  The  Doctor  sent  for  them  as  soon 
as  we  were  settled,  and  they  came,  bringing  Aunt  Mima 
with  them,  who  had  been  with  Sadie  since  we  left  Louis- 
ville. January,  1875,  found  us  at  home  once  more. 
Father  was  especially  delighted  to  be  in  St.  Louis  again. 
His  only  son,  Wm.  G.  Fife,  was  living  there,  and  he 

196 


LIFE    OP    DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  197 

himself  had  so  long  made  it  his  home  it  was  very  pleas- 
ant to  be  there  again. 

We  found  a  warm-hearted  and  generous  brotherhood 
in  the  church.  Brethren  Allen,  Patterson,  Christopher, 
Ellis,  Harrison,  Verden,  Rhorer,  Fife,  Russell,  et  al., 
with  their  good  wives,  made  the  church  a  desirable  home 
for  a  preacher. 

We  used  to  have  delightful  gatherings  there.  Most 
of  the  congregation  lived  a  long  distance  from  the 
church.  It  was  usually  so  late  when  the  gentlemen  re- 
turned from  their  business  that  they  could  not  come  to 
prayer-meeting.  The  sewing  circle  met  one  afternoon  in 
the  week,  the  prayer-meeting  one  evening,  the  class  for 
singing  another.  I  proposed  that  we  meet  Wednesday 
evening  for  sewing,  at  3  P.  M.  ;  all  of  us  take  a  lunch, 
including  tea,  coffee,  cream  and  sugar,  and  that  at  6  P.  M. 
we  would  kindle  a  fire  in  the  stove  in  the  robing-room, 
make  our  tea  and  coffee,  set  our  table  with  the  lunches 
provided,  and  invite  the  brethren  to  sup  with  us  instead 
of  going  home.  Then  at  7  p.  M.  everybody  would  be 
ready  to  enjoy  the  prayer-meeting ;  we  could  sing  an 
hour  after  that,  and  be  ready  to  go  home  at  9  o'clock. 

The  result  was  just  what  we  anticipated.  The  gen- 
tlemen were  delighted  with  the  arrangement.  We  had 
full  prayer-meetings,  good  attendance  at  our  sewing  circle, 
and  saved  two  trips  a  week  on  the  street  cars,  costing 
twenty  cents  at  least  each  week,  and,  where  there  were 
several  in  the  family  to  attend,  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
cents  per  week. 

Those  who  had  the  privilege  of  attending  those 
meetings  will  never  forget  them ;  they  were  seasons  ot 
intense  social  as  well  as  religious  enjoyment — they  were 
feasts  for  body  and  soul. 


198  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

One  feature  of  the  St.  Louis  church  was  especially 
commendable — no  stranger  entered  the  house  and  left  it 
without  being  sought  out  and  introduced.  It  did  not 
matter  whether  that  was  a  member  of  the  church  or  not, 
they  were  made  to  feel  that  they  were  welcome  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord. 

Our  work  with  this  church  was  one  of  unalloyed 
pleasure,  and  the  year,  I  hope,  was  not  unprofitable  to 
the  brethren  and  sisters.  I  think  there  were  from  thirty 
to  forty  additions  during  the  time. 

Sometime  in  June  Brethren  B.  H.  Smith  and  Hen- 
derson Davis  came  down  from  Canton,  Mo.,  in  the  inter- 
est of  Christian  University.  They  came  to  see  the  Doc- 
tor, and  spent  the  night  (it  was  nearly  2  A.  M.  when  they 
left)  trying  to  induce  him  to  consent  to  become  President 
of  that  institution.  I  never  knew  him  to  be  as  much 
concerned  in  regard  to  taking  any  step  before. 

They  represented  the  importance  of  the  work  to  him 
in  such  a  light,  and  that  there  was  a  crisis  in  the  history 
of  the  school  demanding  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  some 
one,  that  he  hardly  felt  he  could  refuse.  They  told  him 
they  believed  the  brethren  throughout  the  State  would 
rally  to  him  as  to  no  one  else,  and  plead  with  him  so 
earnestly  that  he  told  them  he  would  give  them  an  an- 
swer the  following  day.  When  he  came  to  our  room  he 
told  me  the  proposition  made  by  the  brethren,  and  asked 
me  for  my  advice.  I  told  him  I  could  not  advise  him  to 
accept  or  refuse ;  that  the  decision  was  one  that  would 
affect  all  our  future  lives,  and  I  was  incapable  of  offering 
a  suggestion  on  the  subject. 

The  only  point  that  turned  the  scale  in  lavor  of  ac- 
cepting was  the  good  he  might  accomplish  in  training 
young  men  in  the  Bible  school  to  go  forth  and  preach 


LIFE   OP    DH.    \V.   11.    HOPSON.  199 

the  gospel  to  a  dying  world.  We  talked  until  daylight, 
and  then  he  said,  "  I  will  go,  God  willing,  and  do  my 
best." 

Once  more  the  ties  that  bound  us  to  a  devoted  and 
noble  church  had  to  be  sundered.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
every  parting  became  harder.  They  were  very,  very 
kind  to  us  during  our  sojourn  among  them,  and  when  we 
left  them  we  carried  many  tokens  of  their  loving  remem- 
brance with  us. 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  many  friends,  we  cele- 
brated with  the  St.  Louis  church  the  twenty-fifth  anniver- 
sary of  our  marriage  the  30th  day  of  September,  1875.  We 
received  many  valuable  gifts  from  friends  everywhere. 
Our  dear  old  Louisville  church  sent  us  an  elegant  waiter 
and  coffee  and  tea  set,  and  other  articles  both  beautiful 
and  useful.  The  church  in  St.  Louis  supplemented  what 
was  lacking  in  spoons,  knives  and  forks.  It  was  a  most 
generous  gift  from  generous  hearts. 

The  following  contribution  is  from  the  pen  of  a  val- 
ued brother : 

"  '  Truth  from  his  lips  prevailed  with  double  sway.' 

"  The  gifted  and  beloved  Samuel  A.  Kelley  had  preached  for 
the  Seventeenth  and  Olive  Street  Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  two 
years.  He  had  tendered  his  resignation,  that  he  might  return  to 
Kentucky,  the  field  of  his  useful  labor  before  his  call  to  St.  Louis. 
The  church  here  had  passed  through  trying  ordeals  before  he 
came,  and  the  wounds  received  during  the  conflict  had  not  healed. 
Much  was  accomplished  in  love  and  faithfulness  by  Bro.  Kelley 
during  his  two  years'  work,  yet  an  anxiety  bordering  on  appre- 
hension for  the  future  was  apparent,  now  the  tried  and  earnest 
servant  of  peace  was  about  to  depart. 

"  The  membership  looked  to  the  officers  inquiringly.  Who 
shall  succeed  to  the  pulpit,  and  minister  before  the  people  ?  The 
elders  and  deacons  held  joint  sessions.  The  matter  of  vital  in- 


200  LIFE    OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

terest  to  the  church  was  discussed,  and  the  field  canvassed.  For 
intelligence,  business  management,  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  few  churches  were  so  blessed  in  their  official  Board  as  this 
the  first  Christian  Church  of  St.  Louis.  Among  its  officers  at  this 
time  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  H.  Christopher,  J.  G.  Allen,  J.  W. 
Ellis,  R.  D.  Patterson,  T.  A.  Russell,  W.  G.  Fife,  Edward  Wilker- 
son,  and  others. 

"  The  name  of  Dr.  Hopson,  who  had  closed  his  labors  with 
the  Walnut  Street  Christian  Church  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  for  the 
purpose  of  evangelizing,  was  suggested.  The  suggestion  met 
with  universal  favor,  and  the  elders  at  once  wrote  to  the  Doctor 
pressing  upon  him  the  church's  extremity  and  great  need,  and 
endeavored  to  show  him  that  he  would  serve  them  as  no  other 
could.  The  Doctor's  large  sympathetic  heart  never  received  such 
a  call  with  indifference.  Many  reasons  might  be  given  to  show 
the  happy  choice  made  by  the  officers  and  approved  by  the 
church — not  only  approved,  but  with  enthusiasm  confirmed.  The 
oldest  members  of  the  congregation  remembered  Dr.  Hopson 
when  he  came  to  St.  Louis  as  a  medical  student  to  attend  lectures 
preparatory  to  graduation.  He  had  practiced  medicine  for  some 
years  before  this  time.  It  was  in  1846  and  '47  that  his  efforts  first 
began  with  the  church  in  St.  Louis.  These  early  labors  were  of 
reciprocal  advantage  to  the  church  and  to  the  young  student. 
Later,  when  Bro.  Joseph  T.  Patton  was  preaching  for  the  church, 
we  find  the  aspiring  young  preacher  and  student  again  in  St. 
Louis  attending  medical  college,  reviewing  and  ready  to  receive 
his  degree.  It  was  during  this  time  that  Bro.  Patton  fell  ill,  and 
during  his  long  absence  from  the  pulpit  Dr.  Hopson  preached  to 
the  church,  with  the  positive  understanding  that  full  salary 
should  be  paid  to  Bro.  Patton  during  his  illness. 

"  Bro.  Jacob  Creath,  Jr.,  succeeded  Bro.  Patton,  and  it  became 
necessary  that  much  of  Bro.  Creath's  time,  like  that  of  his  pred- 
ecessor, should  be  filled  by  another.  A  like  arrangement  was 
made  as  before  ;  the  Doctor  would  preach  for  the  church,  but  the 
salary  of  Bro.  Creath  should  be  continued  and  paid  him  in  full. 
The  course  of  lectures  completed,  the  Doctor  received  his  diploma 
and  left  for  home. 

"The  oldest  members  of  the  church,  I  say,  remembered  Dr. 
W.  H.  Hopson.  They  recalled  from  the  past,  over  an  interval  of 
more  than  thirty  years,  the  magnanimity,  faithfulness  and  Chris- 
tian generosity  of  a  brilliant  young  orator,  whose  voice  was  clear, 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSO.V  201 

whose  words  were  burning  with  logic  and  love,  and  whose  devo-* 
tion  and  earnestness  in  a  sound  faith  were  unquestioned.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  his  name  was  familiar  to  all  as  a  pulpit  orator  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  as  a  man  of  noblest  integrity,  as  a  companion 
of  peculiar  and  eminently  social  qualities,  as  a  neighbor  ready  to 
respond,  even  to  self-sacrifice,  as  a  friend  to  all  in  need. 

"  In  view  of  all  these  considerations,  it  may  well  be  conceived 
that  now,  in  1874,  the  Doctor  was  called  to  this  post  with  a  singu- 
lar and  enthusiastic  unanimity.  The  call  was  accepted,  and  the  en- 
gagement began  Oct.  1,  1874,  to  continue  for  one  year,  in  which 
time  it  was  believed  the  church  would  be  placed  on  the  highway 
to  prosperity,  Christian  usefulness  and  love.  To  show  that  all 
this  was  accomplished,  one  has  only  to  review  the  results  of  that 
year's  labor  with  the  church.  Larger  audiences  assembled  at  the 
•corner  of  Seventeenth  and  Olive  than  ever  before  ;  many  and  val- 
uable accessions  were  made  to  the  membership  ;  the  finances  of 
the  church  were  put  on  a  more  satisfactory  footing  than  ever  be- 
fore. An  atmosphere  of  brotherly  feeling,  of  dignified  demeanor, 
•gentleness  of  spirit,  confident  hope,  and  intelligent  faith,  charac- 
terized the  whole  body.  It  might  be  tedious  to  the  reader  to  go 
through  the  details  of  this  memorable  year,  however  interesting 
to  the  writer,  who  was  an  officer  of  the  church  at  this  time,  and 
so  they  are  passed  over  with  the  generalization  given,  except  with 
reference  to  the  occasions  thought  to  be  of  too  much  interest  to 
omit. 

"  Dr.  Robert  A.  Holland,  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  St. 
Louis,  had  promulgated  views  concerning  hell  and  eternal  pun- 
ishment which  seemed  contrary  to  the  expressed  words  of  the 
New  Testament.  These  views  were  delivered  before  large  audi- 
ences, at  St.  George's  Church,  St.  Louis,  and  were  making  a  pro- 
found sensation,  if  not  an  injurious  impression.  Dr.  Hopson 
announced,  in  advance,  that  he  would  review  these  opinions  and 
declare  the  scriptural  position  concerning  them.  When  the  ap- 
pointed time  arrived,  the  church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity  with  people  from  all  churches,  and  from  various  walks 
of  life.  The  Doctor  appeared  just  a  little  flurried  when  he  read 
his  text  and  began  his  address.  The  cause  was  not  known,  and 
it  created  some  anxiety  on  the  part  of  his  particular  friends.  But 
this  was  only  momentary.  Soon  that  noble  bearing  and  charac- 
teristic composure  which  he  uniformly  exhibited,  plainly  told 


202  LIFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

that  the  '  Old  Man  Eloquent '  was  fully  himself,  and  confident  of 
the  truth  of  his  cause. 

"If  there  was  a  slight  agitation  on  the  part  of  the  speaker, 
the  ground  of  it  is  at  once  seen  when  the  reader  is  told  that  when 
the  Doctor  left  his  study  to  enter  the  audience-room,  the  former 
was  filled  with  smoke  and  the  church  was  on  fire.  This  fact  was 
known  only  to  the  Do  tor  and  the  sexton,  whom  he  left  to  fight 
the  fire  alone.  To  give  an  unnecessary  alarm  would  defeat  the 
object  in  view.  The  people  would  rush  precipitately  from  the 
house,  and  they  could  not  be  restored  to  order  soon.  Not  to  da 
so  might  still  prove  disastrous  if  the  sexton  should  fail  to  subdue 
the  blazing  fire  below.  Under  the  circumstances,  most  men 
would  have  been  more  excited  than  he  was. 

"  The  fire  was  subdued  by  the  sexton,  and  forgotten  by  the 
speaker ;  but  a  fire  was  kindling  in  the  eye  of  the  orator  as  he 
rose  with  his  theme.  The  rep  rter  in  front  at  times  ceased  his 
curious  writing,  and  gazed  intently  and  rapt  at  the  speaker.  The 
audience  leaned  forward  to  gather,  not  only  the  spirit  of  the  ut- 
terances, but  to  catch  every  intonation  and  articulation.  There 
were  passages  of  power  and  passages  of  beauty,  of  rhetoric  and 
of  logic ;  as  when  the  waters  of  the  great  deep  lap  the  shore,  their 
harmony  delights  and  charms,  although  while  you  look  and  listen 
you  are  conscious  of  the  presence  of  superhuman  power — so  with 
the  gentlest,  softest  speech,  you  may  discover  overmastering 
power  in  that  very  gentleness.  When  that  power  is  presented 
without  restraint  and  unsoftened,  everything  is  swept  before  it; 
and  emotion  is  swallowed  up  in  a  sense  of  helplessness.  There 
was  something  like  this  as  the  speaker  reached  the  climax.  A 
painful  breathlessness  was  upon  all.  The  prayer  of  the  speaker 
seemed  to  possess  the  hearts  of  the  people — 

"  '  That  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument 
I  may  assert  eternal  Providence, 
And  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  man.' 

"  From  the  height  to  which  the  audience  was  carried  the  de- 
scent was  as  graceful  as  it  was  masterly.  The  two  hours'  address 
did  not  appear  half  that  long.  An  imperfect  report  of  the  speech 
appeared  in  the  next  day's  Globe-Democrat,  and,  imperfect  as  it  isr 
it  bears  marks  of  a  giant's  blows.  To  the  credit  of  Dr.  Holland 
be  it  known,  he  attempted  no  reply — none,  at  least,  known  to  the 
writer. 

"The  Doctor's  engagement  with  the  church  ended  the  30th 


LIFE    OF   DR.  \V.    II.    llol'SON.  20$ 

day  of  September,  1875.  The  Doctor  had  been  unanimously 
elected  President  of  Christian  University  at  Canton,  Mo.,  and 
had  accepted  the  call  to  that  honorable  and  important  position. 
The  church  in  St.  Louis  must  lose  his  services.  The  30th  of  Sep- 
tember was  his  last  day  with  the  Olive  Street  Church.  It  was  also 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  marriage — his  silver  wedding 
day.  The  occasion  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  many  friends 
of  the  Doctor  and  his  wife. 

''The  ladies  of  the  church  supplemented  the  elegant  silver 
service  from  the  Louisville  church,  with  knives,  forks,  spoons 
and  other  beautiful  and  useful  articles  needed.  J.  W.  Ellis,  one 
of  the  elders  before  mentioned,  delivered  an  a  dress  to  the  happy 
and  grateful  couple  when  they  entered  the  parlor ;  after  which 
the  company  repaired  to  the  dining-room,  where  a  sumptuous 
wedding  supper  was  awaiting  them.  The  writer  recalls  the  faces 
of  Joseph  Harrison  and  wife,  Dr.  Hiram  Christopher  and  wife, 
W.  G.  Fife  and  daughter,  Julia,  his  wife,  being  too  ill  to  come,  R. 
C.  Weirick  and  wife,  George  Khorer  and  wife  (the  latter  presided 
in  the  dining-room,  as  did  Mrs.  J.  G.  Allen  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Ellis 
in  the  parlor),  Henry  Rhorer  and  wife,  Edward  Wilkerson  and 
wife,  John  Burns  and  wife,  Walter  Burns,  Robert  Stockton  and 
wife,  Thomas  A.  Russell  and  wife,  Cyrus  Jones  and  wife,  Gen. 
Boyle  and  wi;e,  John  G.  Allen,  Dr.  McPheeters,  of  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  an  early  friend  of  the  Doctor's.  Besides  these, 
there  were  more  than  one  hundred  others.  The  occasion  was 
one  of  the  pleasantest  in  the  memory  of  the  church,  most  of 
whom  were  present.  Friendship  and  Christian  love  blended  in 
an  indissoluble  chain  of  sincere  affection. 

"  The  Chair  of  the  university  was  awaiting  the  newly-chosen 
occupant.  The  time  of  the  scholastic  year  was  passing,  and  the 
Doctor  hurried  away  to  his  new  field  of  labor,  followed  by  the 
benedictions  and  prayers  of  a  devoted  people. 

"  J.  W.  ELLIS,  Plattsburg,  Mo." 

The  following  day  we  left  them,  and  moved  to  our 
new  home  at  Canton. 

His  salary  was  not  as  much  by  $500  as  in  St.  Louis, 
but  he  thought  it  would  go  as  far,  as  living  was  much 
cheaper. 

He  felt  now  that  he  was  settled  for  life.     An  oppor- 


204  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

tunity  offered  to  secure  a  valuable  piece  of  property  for 
a,  home,  on  time  to  suit  purchaser.  He  bought  the  place 
formerly  owned  by  Dr.  Samuel  Hatch.  It  was  by  far 
the  most  desirable  place  for  us  in  Canton.  The  following 
year  the  Doctor  added  two  rooms  to  it,  and  we  soon  had 
ten  boarders.  Our  family  now  numbered  seventeen. 

The  Doctor  entered  upon  his  work  with  zeal  and 
energy  ;  he  loved  it,  and  determined  to  make  it  a  success. 
He  was  especially  proud  of  his  Bible  college,  and  regarded 
his  class  of  students  in  that  department  as  very  promis- 
ing. He  had  a  corps  of  young  but  thoroughly  compe- 
tent professors,  all  eager  to  do  all  they  could  to  build  up 
the  University.  Prof.  Carter,  the  senior  professor,  was  a 
graduate  of  Bethany  College,  and  subsequently  at  the 
University  of  Virginia.  He  was  Professor  of  Ancient 
and  Modern  Languages,  and  a  thorough  scholar. 

The  session  of  '75  and  '76  was  promising,  considering 
the  little  time  allowed  for  advertising  the  change  of  fac- 
ulty in  the  university. 

The  summer  of  '76  the  Doctor  spent  canvassing  the 
State  for  students.  The  summer  was  very  hot  and  dry. 
I  accompanied  him  on  his  tour ;  very  often  we  would 
have  water  to  drink  that  had  been  hauled  a  long  distance, 
and  had  stood  in  barrels  two  or  three  days.  The  middle 
of  July  we  were  both  attacked  with  flux.  The  Doctor  had 
no  time  to  stop  for  rest  and  take  medicine,  but  spoke 
nearly  every  night  to  a  new  audience,  and  traveled  every 
day.  By  the  time  we  arrived  at  home,  the  last  of  Au- 
gust, the  disease  had  become  chronic  with  both  of  us. 

The  week  following,  the  State  meeting  met  in  Canton. 
A  large  number  of  strangers  were  present  from  different 
portions  of  the  State.  Dr.  H.  was  busily  engaged  all  the 
time  in  attending  to  the  interests  of  the  meeting,  the  en- 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  205 

tertainment  of  the  guests,  and  preparation  for  opening 

x  the  college.    Before  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  students 

began  to  arrive,  and  everything  was  bustle  and  confusion. 

When  the  Doctor  felt  assured  of  the  success  of  the 
school,  he  had  written  to  Mr.  Cave,  then  living  in  Gor- 
donsville,  Va.,  and  obtained  his  consent  to  take  a  posi- 
tion as  professor  in  the  Bible  school.  This  was  most 
fertunate  for  the  Doctor,  as  well  as  for  the  University.  He 
arrived  with  his  family  a  few  days  before  the  session 
opened,  and  was  ready  to  assist  in  every  way  in  organiz- 
ing, and  carrying  out  the  plans  proposed  by  the  Doctor, 
He  was  in  every  sense  a  tower  of  strength  to  him. 

Notwithstanding  we  were  both  unfit  to  do  anything, 
we  were  compelled  to  enter  upon  the  arduous  work  of 
teaching — the  Doctor  in  the  college  proper,  and  I  in  the 
preparatory  department.  Father  and  mother  presided 
over  our  domestic  affairs.  The  Doctor  felt  that  in  a  few 
weeks,  with  a  little  care,  he  would  be  entirely  restored 
to  health. 

With  Mr.  Cave  to  assist  him  in  his  work,  a  full 
school,  earnest  and  competent  professors,  a  house  full  of 
boarders,  surrounded  by  his  whole  family,  he  said  he  had 
all  he  could  ask  his  heavenly  Father  for.  Instead  of  his 
health  improving,  it  became  worse.  The  disease  was  so 
insidious  in  its  progress  he  did  not  realize  the  extent  of 
its  inroads  until  he  was  prostrated  in  February,  1877.  By 
care  and  good  nursing  I  had  fully  recovered  my  health, 
and  was  now  ready  to  nurse  him.  For  a  month  his  life 
hung  by  a  slender  thread.  His  physicians  fought  the  at- 
tack of  the  grim  monster  inch  by  inch.  One  of  them 
was  with  him  nearly  all  the  time,  night  and  day.  All 
that  human  skill  could  do  was  done,  and  all  it  could 
avail  was  to  save  his  life,  not  restore  him  to  health.  But 


206  LIFE   OP    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

to  show  what  a  brave,  heroic  struggle  he  made  for  life 
and  health,  and  how  patiently  he  bore  his  deep  disap- 
pointment in  not  being  able  to  build  up  an  institution  of 
learning  worthy  our  large  brotherhood,  I  would  write 
Finis  here.  Mr.  Cave  spent  every  hour  he  could  spare 
from  his  duties  at  the  college  by  the  Doctor's  bedside ; 
an  own  son  could  not  have  done  more.  All  night  he  was 
lying  on  a  couch  in  the  room,  and  at  the  slightest  move 
on  the  Doctor's  part  was  beside  him ;  and  for  four  weeks 
I  never  undressed  to  retire  for  the  night.  But  there  was 
-one  there  whose  great  grief  overshadowed  all — his  inother. 
She  felt  she  could  not  live  to  lose  her  boy,  her  only  idol- 
ized one,  and  night  and  day  she  prayed  that  God  would 
take  her  and  spare  him.  Her  prayer  was  answered.  By 
the  middle  of  March  the  Doctor  was  able  to  sit  up  a  little 
while,  and  pronounced  out  of  immediate  danger.  Thurs- 
day mother  was  not  well,  but  staid  part  of  the  day  in 
the  room  with  him.  Friday  she  spent  most  of  the  day 
in  bed ;  that  night  she  grew  worse,  and  died  Saturday 
morning  at  10  o'clock — I  believe  of  a  broken  heart. 
Who  can  measure  the  depth  of  a  mother's  love  for  an 
only  child? 

The  people  of  Canton  were  all  so  kind,  but  to  the 
kind  physicians  I  feel  we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  we  can 
never  pay,  Drs.  Hawkins,  Tompkins  and  Turner,  of 
Canton,  and  Dr.  Christy,  of  Monticello.  Bro.  Dr.  Lucas 
often  came  in  from  his  country  home  to  stay  all  night  or 
spend  a  day.  May  God  reward  them  all,  as  we  never  can. 

My  niece,  Miss  Lord,  had  taken  my  place  in  school 
while  the  Doctor  was  so  ill.  She  married  early  in  March, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  resume  my  duties  as  teacher.  I  was 
now  compelled  to  attend  to  my  own  housekeeping,  and 
how  I  did  miss  mother,  no  one  can  tell.  I  had  to  go  up 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    IIol'-n.N.  207 

to  the  college  by  7:30  A.  M.;  before  I  left  I  would  cook  tin- 
Doctor's  slight  breakfast  myself,  give  out  dinner  and  sup- 
per, eat  my  breakfast,  and  prepare  lunch  for  seven  board- 
ers who  did  not  come  home  to  dinner.  Father  remained 
with  us  until  the  middle  of  April,  and  attended  to  my 
marketing  still ;  when  he  left,  it  all  devolved  upon  me. 
He  felt  anxious  to  spend  his  last  days  with  his  son  in  St. 
Louis.  He  only  lived  a  year  and  a  few  days  after  moth- 
er's death. 

A  very  short  time  after  he  left,  Prof.  Kay,  a  noble 
young  man  greatly  beloved  by  us  all,  left  us  to  go  home, 
and  to  die  three  months  later.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Bro.  Win.  Kay,  of  Louisville.  He  had  several  hemor- 
rhages from  the  lungs  before  we  could  persuade  him  to 
rest.  The  whole  burden  of  managing  the  school  now 
fell  upon  Mr.  Cave,  and  he  sustained  himself  with  such 
dignity  and  judgment  beyond  his  years  that,  upon  Dr. 
Hopson's  resignation,  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
University. 

The  Doctor  improved  steadily,  but  slowly,  the  rest  of 
the  year ;  but  he  felt  his  work  in  the  school  was  done. 
By  January,  1878,  he  was  able  to  preach,  and  the  church 
in  Lexington  called  him  again  to  take  charge  of  it.  He 
consented,  believing  the  change  'would  benefit  him. 
And  it  did ;  he  improved  for  several  months.  He 
purchased  the  Apostolic  Times,  his  old  paper,  and  he  and 
Bro.  Cozine  continued  it  more  than  a  year.  Still  dregs 
of  his  old  disease  were  in  his  system,  and  he  determined 
to  seek  some  quiet  home  where  he  would  have  but  little 
care  and  could  rest. 

His  old  church  in  Palmyra  gave  him  a  call.  We  left 
Lexington  for  the  last  time  in  January,  1880,  for  our  last 
field  of  labor.  We  met  a  warm  welcome  from  onr  old 


208  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

friends  of  ante-bellum  days,  and  for  a  while  he  seemed 
to  rally ;  but  it  was  evanescent.  In  a  little  over  a  year 
he  was  at  death's  door  again.  Dr.  J.  N.  Coons  was  called 
in,  and  in  three  months  the  Doctor  was  relieved  of  the 
disease;  but  the  physician  could  never  give  back  the 
wasted  nerve  force,  and  from  that  day  to  this  he  has  been 
steadily  growing  weaker  and  weaker.  Not  a  murmur  or 
complaint  has  ever  escaped  his  lips.  I  have  never  heard 
him  question  why  he  was  stricken  down  in  the  very 
zenith  of  his  usefulness,  when  the  ripe  experience  of 
years  would  have  made  him  invaluable  in  the  councils  of 
his  brethren;  when,  as  an  educator,  he  could  have  had  a 
mighty  influence  in  molding  the  minds  of  the  rising 
generation. 

We  spent  one  year  with  Mr.  Cave  in  Nashville,  but 
I  thought  the  climate  did  not  agree  with  him;  and  our 
house  in  Canton  being  unoccupied,  we  returned  there.  I 
was  able  to  secure  some  boarders,  and  a  small  art  class ; 
the  two  supported  us  very  well.  The  second  year  I 
taught  a  private  school  in  the  house,  still  retaining  my 
boarders.  Before  the  close  of  the  school  the  Doctor 
became  so  feeble  I  was  compelled  to  dismiss  my 
pupils. 

At  this  time  Dr.  Ringland,  of  Riverside  Sanitarium, 
opposite  Keokuk,  Iowa,  made  me  the  proposition  to  ac- 
cept the  position  of  matron  of  the  institution,  and  for  my 
services  I  was  to  receive  board  and  treatment  for  the 
Doctor  and  myself.  I  thought  there  was  some  hope  of 
the  treatment  doing  him  good,  and  as  a  last  resort  I  ac- 
cepted. He  did  seem  to  improve  the  first  four  months, 
but  his  strength  began  to  fail  him  again,  and  for  the  first 
time  I  gave  up  all  hope  of  a  cure.  If  the  various  treat- 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  209 

raents  there  given  could   not  benefit   him,   I   felt  sure 
nothing  would. 

He  wanted  to  come  to  his  children.  I  wrote  Mr.  C., 
and  he  and  Sadie  met  us  in  Hannibal,  Mo.,  and  from 
there  we  came  to  Nashville,  where,  surrounded  by  all  he 
loves  best,  he  is  waiting  for  the  summons  to  come  up 
higher. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Letter  from  Wiley  Mountjoy. — Dr.  Hopson's  Life  at  Home. — In- 
fluence on  the  Students  in  his  Family. — Servants. — Bro.  G. 
A.  Hoffman's  Letter. — Generous  Kindness. — Conscientious- 
ness.— Christ-likeness. — Influence  at  Home  and  Abroad  as  a 
Neighbor,  a  Minister,  a  Friend.— His  Liberality. 

There  is  much  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Hopson  I  have  left 
to  others  to  say.  Appended  the  reader  will  find  many  pre- 
cious letters  from  friends,  containing  much  that  delicacy 
would  forbid  me  writing.  It  will  be  seen  by  these  that 
those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most. 

The  first  letter  is  from  Wiley  Mountjoy,  a  brother  of 
the  lamented  J.  W.  Mountjoy. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OP  DR.  W.  H.  HOPSON. 

"  On  the  1st  day  of  January,  1876,  as  the  north-bound  train 
stopped  at  Canton,  Mo.,  a  young  man  issued  from  the  cars  and 
stepped  upon  the  platform. 

"  A  close  observer  need  not  have  been  told  that  he  was  a 
stranger.  The  look,  half  of  inquiry  and  half  of  appeal,  the  un- 
easy manner  and  woe-begone  expression  of  countenance,  must 
have  proclaimed  to  the  denizens  of  the  town,  who  had  doubtless 
seen  many  of  the  same  species,  that  he  was  one  of  the  newest  of 
the  students  of  Canton  University.  This,  at  any  rate,  was  the 
truth.  This  young  man  was  myself,  and  I  had  come  to  enter  the 
college,  then  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson,  who 
had  but  recently  assumed  the  administration  of  its  affairs.  In 
accordance  with  arrangements  previously  made  by  my  friends,  I 
was  to  become  a  member  of  his  family.  I  can  not  describe  my 
emotions  when  I  looked  up,  for  the  first  time,  at  the  massive 
building  which  crowned  the  high  hill  overlooking  the  quiet  town. 
I  knew  nothing  of  a  college,  either  inside  or  outside ;  but  was 

210 


LIFE    OF    1)11.   W.    H.    HOI'SON.  211 

awed  with  the  idea,  awful  to  an  unsophisticated  youth,  that  the 
students  were  prodigies  of  learning,  the  professors  regular  Solo- 
mons, and  the  President  almost  if  not  quite  as  unapproachable  as 
the  Czar  of  Russia.  It  was  with  a  sad  and  heavy  heart,  and  many 
misgivings,  that  I  sought  the  home  of  the  only  man  I  knew  in 
Canton,  Bro.  J.  H.  Hickman,  whom  I  had  not  met  since  my  early 
boyhood. 

"  I'shall  never  forget  the  dreariness  of  that  drizzly  New  Year's 
day,  nor  the  utter  loneliness  of  my  heart  as  I  passed  along  these 
strange,  quiet  streets. 

"  I  found  Bro.  Hickman,  and  he  conducted  me  to  the  home, 
and  introduced  me  to  Dr.  Hopson.  Nothing  in  all  my  experience 
is  more  distinct  to  me  at  this  moment  than  this  my  first  meeting 
with  him.  As  much  as  I  afterward  associated  with  him,  as  much 
as  I  admired  and  loved  him,  he  never  seemed  to  me  so  noble,  so 
massive  or  so  good  as  at  this  our  first  meeting.  There  he  sat  in 
his  capacious,  comfortable  room,  to  me  greatness  personified  ;  yet 
he  was  so  kind  and  considerate  in  what  he  said,  so  courteous  and 
easy,  that  he  completely  disarmed  me  of  all  anxiety  and  embar. 
rassment,  and  made  me  feel  completely  at  ease  in  his  presence. 
I  jhave  seen  him  in  the  pulpit  in  his  happiest  mood — his  eyes 
were  tongues,  and  his  movements  grace  ;  again  in  the  class-room, 
under  the  inspiration  of  some  favorite  theme,  when  his  talk  flowed 
like  a  stream,  and  made  melody  as  it  ran ;  still  memory's  cher- 
ished treasure  is  the  recollection  of  this  first  meeting.  The  mental 
picture  of  that  hour  as  he  looked  then,  if  it  could  be  transferred 
to  card  or  canvas,  would  far  surpass  any  that  I  have  ever  seen  of 
him. 

"  He  had  passed  the  prime  and  vigor  of  life,  the  period  in 
which  men  ordinarily  are  most  active  in  their  respective 
callings.  Seemingly  he  had  just  begun  to  descend  a  long,  gentle 
slope,  amid  golden  fields  and  beautiful  meadows,  toward  the  silver 
sands  that  border  the  eternal  ocean.  Alas !  how  soon  this  slope 
became  abrupt,  and  the  descent  rapid.  To  drop  the  figure,  the 
Doctor  had  reached  that  period  in  life  when  men  who  have  given 
their  lives  to  their  fellow-men  and  to  good  works,  feel  that,  while 
they  have  passed  the  time  for  most  active  service,  they  are  just 
entering  upon  their  greatest  usefulness.  So  the  Doctor  doubtless 
thought  he  could  now  enjoy  the  fruits  of  former  labor,  and  have 
some  of  the  benefits  of  a  well-deserved  reputation.  How  soon 
the  church,  the  college  and  the  world  were  to  be  deprived  of  his 


212  LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

ministrations,  his  teachings  and  the  influence  of  his  noble  life, 
are  well  known. 

"  I  entered  Canton  University  the.second  semester  of  his  first 
session.  I  was  for  a  year  and  a  half  a  member  of  his  family,  a 
pupil  in  his  classes,  an  eager,  delighted  listener  to  his  eloquent 
sermons.  Thus  I  came  to  know,  and  admire  and  love  Dr- 
Hopson.  He  was  a  father  to  me,  and  I  knew  it  was  not  due  to 
any  merit  of  my  own,  or  to  any  relationship  between  us ;  for  we 
were  not  only  unrelated,  but  strangers,  until  we  met  to  assume 
the  relationship  of  teacher  and  pupil.  It  was  due  to  his  native 
kindness  of  heart,  to  the  desire  that  he  ever  manifested  of  help- 
ing those  who  needed  help,  and  of  encouraging  young  men  in 
their  aspirations  and  efforts  for  a  higher  and  nobler  life.  I  might 
have  thought  it  partiality  to  me  if  I  had  not  witnessed  repeatedly 
the  same  unselfish,  generous  treatment  of  other  young  men  sim- 
ilarly situated. 

"  The  Doctor's  kindness  to  young  men  studying  for  the  min- 
istry has  often  been  remarked.  I  now  recall  one  mention  in 
The  Living  Pulpit :  f  He  is  especially  kind  to  young  preachers,  and 
helps  them  in  whatever  way  he  can.  In  money  matters  he  is 
liberal  to  a  fault.'  My  own  experience  and  observation  fully 
confirm  these  statements. 

"  Dr.  Hopson's  personal  appearance  and  characteristics  are 
too  well  known  for  me  to  dwell  upon  them  ;  but  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  he  was  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  noble  manhood 
I  ever  met.  Tall,  erect,  dignified  in  his  bearing,  always  well  and 
appropriately  dressed,  courtly  in  his  manners,  kind  and  consid- 
erate at  all  times,  he  never  failed  to  impress  all  who  came  within 
the  charming  circle  of  his  personal  influence  that  they  were  in 
the  presence  of  a  gentleman  in  the  truest  sense  of  that  term. 

"  He  was  so  kingly  and  martial  in  his  bearing  that  strangers 
sometimes  thought  him  proud  and  pompous.  I  have  often  heard 
him  tell,  with  evident  enjoyment,  jokes  at  his  own  expense,  il- 
lustrating this  impression  of  strangers.  This  one  occurs  to  me. 
He  was  waiting  for  a  train  at  a  Missouri  town,  and,  growing  some- 
what impatient  of  delay,  was  leisurely  pacing  up  and  down  the 
platform.  Two  Irishmen  were  walking  near.  One  of  them  says, 
'  Pat,  and  can  ye 's  tell  me  who  that  man  is?'  '  By  me  soul,  sure 
I  dunno,'  replied  the  other.  The  first,  after  regarding  the  Doctor 
attentively  a  few  moments,  said,  '  Be  jabbers,  I  wonder  if  he 
thinks  he  made  God  Almighty,  or  God  Almighty  made  him.' 


LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOl'Sn.V  213 

"  Nothing  was  farther  from  the  truth  than  the  notion  that 
the  Doctor  was  arrogant  and  haughty  ;  a  very  short  time  in  his 
presence  would  banish  all  such  thoughts.  He  had  a  quick  sym- 
pathy for  all  who  were  less  fortunate  than  himself.  None  were 
too  lowly  to  receive  his  hearty  and  polite  greetings  wherever  he 
nuit  them. 

"  The  servants  in  his  own  family,  and  all  the  poor  in  the 
community,  were  greatly  attached  to  him;  for  in  him  they  recog- 
nized a  real,  helpful  friend.  If  his  sympathy  and  aid  were  in- 
valuable to  the  humble  classes,  his  society  and  influence  were 
not  less  eagerly  sought  by  the  wealthy  and  more  favored.  His 
superior  dignity,  his  easy,  graceful  manners,  and  his  ready  con- 
verse, made  him  the  favorite  companion  and  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion in  nearly  all  circles,  while  his  wisdom,  prudence  and  exten- 
sive general  knowledge  made  him  the  safe  counselor  and  trusted 
friend. 

"  I  can  not,  in  giving  my  estimate  of  him,  make  any  critiqah 
or  what  would  be  called  a  juat  estimate  of  him  as  a  preacher. 
The  pupils  thought  him  among  the  most  eloquent,  logical  and 
powerful  of  preachers:  as  to  how  much  we  were  influenced  in 
our  estimate  by  an  intense  admiration  and  great  respect  for  him> 
is  not  for  me  to  say.  It  may  be  safely  said,  however,  that  his 
splendid  personal  presence,  natural  grace  of  movement,  power 
of  clear  logical  statement,  added  to  the  rich  melody  of  his  voice, 
distinguished  him  as  a  man  of  marked  ability  in  the  pulpit. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  very  devout  spirit,  and  religious  emotions 
of  the  highest  order.  I  think  during  the  year  and  a  half  1  spent 
in  his  home  he  never  failed  to  have  family  worship  twice  a  day. 
No  matter  who  was  present,  without  explanation  or  apology,  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  morning  and  evening  meals,  he  had  all  to 
kneel  around  the  table  while  he  offered  a  fervent,  earnest  prayer. 
His  reverence  and  devotion  were  simply  beautiful. 

"  One  of  the  loveliest  traits  of  Dr.  Hopson's  character  was 
his  benevolence.  I  believe  he  was  the  most  truly  benevolent 
man  I  ever  knew.  He  would  give  as  long  as  he  had  to  give  while 
there  was  a  fellow-creature  in  need  around  him.  He  did  not  seek 
to  know  when  and  where  it  would  be  popular  to  give,  nor  did  he 
accumulate  a  large  amount  and  give  it  at  once  that  he  might  have 
the  praise  of  men ;  but  daily  he  experienced  the  joy  and  blessed- 
ness of  unselfish  giving. 

"  What  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  his  exceptional  kindness 


214  LIFE    OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

to  young  men  was  not  exceptional.  This  is  only  an  instance  of 
that  native  kindness  of  heart  which  '  abounded  to  all  men.'  This 
is  most  often  heard  because  told  by  these  young  men.  But,  oh  ! 
if  the  voice  of  widows  and  orphans  could  be  heard,  if  their  grate- 
ful tears  could  speak,  they  would  tell  of  heavy  hearts  made  light, 
and  of  dreary  homes  brightened  by  his  unselfish  visitations. 
There  are  many  to-day  in  whose  hearts  is  sweet  music  to  the 
memory  of  Dr.  Hopson,  hearts  in  which  there  was  little  music 
until  their  chords  felt  the  tender  touch  of  his  hand. 

"  I  suppose  there  are  in  the  lives  of  all  men  what  might  be 
termed  pivotal  points,  events  from  which  they  reckon  success  or 
failure — from  whicli  they  date  the  beginning  of  certain  influences 
which  determine  character  and  destiny.  So  many  of  us  can  re- 
call certain  men  whose  friendship  has  been  most  timely  and  in- 
valuable, men  who,  by  their  exalted  character  and  teaching,  have 
exercised  a  controlling  and  lasting  influence  upon  our  characters. 
With  profound  gratitude  I  shall  always  see  Dr.  Hopson  in  this 
relation  to  myself.  WILEY  MOUNTJOY, 

"  Camden  Point,  Mo." 

"  PERCHE,  Mo.,  January  26,  1887. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  write,  at 
your  request,  concerning  my  recollections  of  a  life  as  grand  and 
God-like  as  that  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Hopson  ;  not  because  my  feeble  pen 
could  describe  the  many  noble  traits  of  a  life  so  distinguished  in 
the  service  of  God,  but  to  express  the  gratitude  of  my  own  heart 
for  his  help  in  making  me  what  I  am,  both  as  a  man  and  preacher 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  It  can  only  be  partially  known  how  I 
appreciate  this  privilege  when  I  repeat  some  of  the  blessings  I 
have  gathered  from  his  life. 

"  In  February,  1875,  Bro.  Hopson  was  assisting  Bro.  Wilkes 
in  a  meeting  at  Columbia,  Mo.,  when  I  confessed  Christ  and 
united  with  the  church.  In  August,  1876,  when  he  found  I  was 
penniless,  and  had  a  desire  to  study  for  the  ministry,  he  invited 
me  to  his  house  to  board,  and  I  could  pay  him,  when  my  college 
course  ended,  and  I  should  be  able  to  save  the  money.  It  was 
in  February,  1877,  I  was  pet  apart  with  fasting  and  prayer;  he 
spoke  the  impressive  words,  '  Preach  the  word,'  and  with  laying 
on  of  hands  directed  the  services  which  authorized  me  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  dying  sinners.  I  shall  never  forget  the  earnest  and 
impressive  charge  which  he  gave  for  us  in  the  presence  of  the 


LIFE   OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOF8ON.  215 

large  audience.  It  was  in  June,  1878,  as  President  of  Canton 
University,  he  handed  me  the  graduating  diploma  of  that  insti- 
tution. 

"  During  the  year  that  I  lived  in  your  family,  Bro.  Hopson 
treated  me  more  like  an  intimate  friend  than  a  boarder;  much 
more  like  a  son  than  a  stranger ;  more,  indeed,  like  a  companion 
and  counselor  than  a  mere  student.  At  times  he  would  converse 
freely  concerning  his  work,  and  plans  and  prospects,  while  my 
crude  thoughts  were  of  no  benefit  to  him.  It  filled  my  heart 
with  high  and  noble  aspirations  to  listen  to  him,  and  gave  me  a 
burning  desire  to  become  like  this  friend  and  Christian  com- 
panion that  the  Lord  had  given  me. 

"  Thus  in  my  intercourse  with  the  family,  a  member  of  the 
church  where  Dr.  Hopson  was  pastor,  a  student  in  the  school 
where  he  was  President,  and  an  attendant  on  his  classes,  I  learned 
much  of  the  child-like  simplicity  of  his  heart,  his  lofty  concep- 
tions of  both  God  and  man,  his  wonderful  confidence  in  his 
heavenly  Father,  and  his  unceasing  love  for  the  cause  of  his 
Master. 

"  There  are  few  men  who  impart  such  a  high  conception  of 
true  manhood.  He  was,  first  of  all,  a  true  man,  and  manifested 
the  highest  and  most  Christ-like  ideal  I  have  seen  among  men. 
True  to  his  friends,  true  to  his  church,  true  to  his  conscience,  and 
true  to  his  God. 

"  He  was  known  wherever  he  lived  as  a  man  of  strict  integ- 
rity, and  of  good  report  among  all.  He  was  ever  foremost  in  the 
councils  of  his  brethren.  Nothing  engrossed  his  thoughts  more 
than  the  interests  of  the  church — it  was  first,  middle  and  last 
with  him.  Few  men  were  as  true  to  their  convictions.  He  would 
suffer  his  right  arm  to  go  to  the  flames  before  he  would  go  against 
his  conscientious  decision  on  any  subject ;  yet,  when  convinced 
that  he  had  taken  a  wrong  position,  no  one  would  yield  in  a 
more  manly  way  than  he. 

"  Always  loyal  and  true  to  the  word  of  God ;  in  fact,  he  was 
pre-eminently  a  man  who  loved  the  truth  for  the  truth's  sake, 
and  gave  the  world  a  living  example  of  it. 

"  The  dignified  appearance  of  Dr.  Hopson  left  the  impression 
on  a  few  that  he  must  be  a  man  of  a  proud  and  haughty  spirit. 
As  soon,  however,  as  one  came  to  know  something  of  his 
sympathy  for  the  poor  and  the  child-like  nature  he  possessed, 
these  thoughts  would  be  forever  dispelled. 


216  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  No  one  had  a  better  opportunity  than  I  did  to  learn  much 
of  his  life.  The  year  I  was  a  member  of  your  family,  we  started 
in  with  eighteen  members :  Father  and  Mother  Fife,  your  niece, 
Miss  Freddie  Lord,  Prof.  Kay,  three  Bible  students,  four  young 
men  attending  school,  and  three  young  ladies  and  two  domestics. 
TL.ey  ranged  in  age  from  fifteen  to  eighty  years.  In  character, 
they  represented  everything,  from  the  careless,  thoughtless,  mis- 
chievous school  boy  and  girl  to  the  ripe  old  disciples  of  Christ, 
ready  for  the  garner  of  God.  In  birth,  nationality  and  politics 
we  represented  Europe  and  America,  from  the  South  and  the 
North,  the  East  and  the  West ;  yet  under  all  these  varied  circum- 
stances Bro.  Hopson  had  such  a  hold  on  the  affections  of  all  that 
the  family  ran  as  smooth  and  regular  as  clock-work  ;  our  meals 
always  on  tune,  every  member  of  the  family  in  his  or  her  place 
at  morning  and  evening  worship,  and  thus  all  through  the  day 
his  natural  simplicity  and  love  gave  direction  to  all.  One  who 
knew  him  both  in  the  family  and  out  could  not  help  but  love 
him. 

"  This  was  especially  demonstrated  when  the  hand  of  disease 
laid  Bro.  Hopson  so  near  death's  door.  There  were  the  four  phy- 
sicians who  watched  at  his  bedside  by  turns,  and  the  anxious 
watchers  from  the  church,  who  held  their  pastor  in  the  highest 
esteem.  When  the  sad  hour  came,  and  the  life  of  your  dear  hus- 
band was  despaired  of,  tears  fell  from  the  eyes  of  the  servants  in 
the  kitchen,  not  because  he  was  their  employer,  but  because  they 
loved  him  for  his  consideration  for  their  needs  ;  tears  gathered  in 
the  eyes  of  the  students,  who  felt  they  were  about  to  lose  their 
best  |friend ;  the  neighbors  came  with  sad  and  inquiring  hearts, 
'  How  is  he  now  ?'  In  him  they  had  a  neighbor  who  would  do 
unto  them  as  he  would  have  them  do  unto  him.  The  same  ex- 
pression came  upon  the  countenances  of  the  poor.  Few  men 
were  so  ready  to  divide  with  the  man  of  poverty.  Often  I  have 
known  him  to  deprive  himself  of  comforts  to  give  to  those  in 
need.  The  poor  never  called  for  bread  in  vain,  and  to-day  I  re- 
member well  his  exhortations  to  the  church  to  take  care  of  the 
poor.  But  the  poor  loved  him,  not  on  account  of  his  gifts — he 
preached  the  gospel  unto  them.  Many  men  with  the  literary 
attainments  of  Dr.  Hopson  can  scarcely  be  understood  by  the 
illiterate  and  uneducated  masses.  While  the  educated  heard  him 
with  joy,  it  was  none  the  less  true  of  the  unlearned.  The  same 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON.  l!  1  7 

simplicity  and  clearness  of  style  manifested  in  the  pulpit  charac- 
terized his  teaching  in  the  classes. 

"  His  sympathy  was  unbounded.  It  mattered  not  how  im- 
portant the  occasion,  or  how  grave  the  subject  that  was  occupying 
his  mind,  he  could  enter  into  sympathy  with  the  humblest  stu- 
dent in  school,  and  the  needs  or  complaints  of  none  were  too 
small  for  his  immediate  attention  and  aid. 

"  If  there  is  a  position  on  earth  where  grander  power  and 
more  earnest  lives  in  the  service  of  Christ  are  needed  than  in  all 
others,  it  is  in  the  teachers  who  assist  in  the  preparation  of  young 
men  to  preach  the  gospel.  Should  I  wish  to  judge  the  life,  char- 
acter and  work  of  any  Bible  school  professor,  just  tell  me  what 
their  students  are  doing  after  they  leave  the  college  walls.  It  is 
not  simply  a  man  who  can  teach  the  facts  and  truths  of  the  word 
of  God,  but  he  who  can  build  character  out  of  these  principles 
and  create  an  undying  desire  and  an  earnest  life  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  our  Lord. 

"  Did  space  permit,  nothing  would  give  me  more  pleasure 
than  to  point  to  the  young  men,  and  their  work  for  Christ,  who 
were  in  the  classes  of  Dr.  Hopson's  Bible  school  and  received  in- 
struction, both  by  precept  and  example,  from  that  grand  man- 
When  the  Lord  shall  call  him  home  to  receive  the  crown  laid  up 
for  him  in  heaven,  there  will  be  scores  to  stand  in  his  stead  to 
carry  the  banner  of  the  cross  to  dying  men.  Few  will  have  the 
talents  God  gave  him,  but  whatever  God  has  given  them  they 
will  use.  None  may  have  the  eloquence  of  our  dear  brother,  but 
his  earnest  life  will  ever  stimulate  the  young  preacher  of  the 
gospel  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  lead  sinners  to  Christ. 

"  In  talking  to  quite  an  intelligent  attorney  in  regard  to  the 
labors  and  preaching  of  Dr.  Hopso  ,  he  said :  '  He  is  the  most 
eloquent  man  I  ever  heard.  Why,  just  to  look  at  him  in  the 
pulpit  was  a  sermon  to  me.'  This  was  a  power  in  the  life  of  Bro. 
Hopson.  That  life  always  preached  Christ. 

"  There  are  many  things  I  would  like  to  write,  but  it  would 
make  this  letter  too  long.  There  is  one  thing  I  must  speak  of  be- 
fore I  close,  and  that  is  his  constant  friendship  and  self-denial  for 
the  young  preacher.  He  was  not  a  wealthy  man.  He  had  nothing 
but  his  salary  as  a  preacher,  and  the  church  and  the  poor  gener- 
ally got  a  large  share  of  that  before  the  year  would  be  out.  Yet 
when  I  asked  one  of  my  room-mates  who  was  studying  the  Bible 
.at  school  with  me,  and  who  is  now  a  most  excellent  preacher  and 


218  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

president  of  one  of  our  leading  female  colleges,  '  What  did  you 
pay  Bro.  Hopson  for  board  while  you  were  with  him?'  he  replied, 
'  He  kept  me  one  year  and  a  half,  and  charged  me  nothing  for 
board  except  the  little  chores  I  did.'  His  kindness  to  me  I  shall 
never  jforget,  when  he  told  me  to  come  to  his  house  and  board, 
and  I  might  pay  him  some  time  in  the  future  if  I  ever  became 
able.  I  had  nothing,  and  after  I  graduated  and  commenced 
preaching,  when  I  had  saved  fifty  dollars  I  sent  it  to  him,  sup- 
posing it  would  pay  a  little  over  one-third  of  my  indebtedness.  I 
asked  him  in  the  letter,  '  How  much  more  do  I  owe  you  ?'  The 
reply  came,  '  This  is  enough.'  Imagine  the  joy  of  my  heart,  not 
so  much  on  account  of  my  release,  although  that  was  much  to  a 
yoking  preacher  just  starting  out  in  life,  but  for  the  kind  remem- 
brance and  love,  the  substantial  gift  from  so  great  and  good  a 
man.  Nothing  could  bring  tears  of  joy  from  my  eyes  more  readily 
than  the  unselfish  deeds  of  God's  children.  These  are  two  of 
the  several  kind  and  benevolent  acts  I  know  of  in  assisting 
young  men  to  prepare  themselves  for  the  work  of  preaching  the 


"Had  he  been  a  man  of  wealth,  all  would  have  said  it  wa& 
his  duty  to  give,  and  as  the  recipient  of  Jhis  benevolence  I  should 
have  been  grateful.  As  it  is,  however,  it  came  more  like  the 
widow's  mite,  who  gave  all.  Thus  all  along  his  life  he  has  been 
giving  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and  to  build  up  the  cause  of  Christ. 
It  seems  there  must  have  been  a  sentiment  in  his  heart  akin  to 
these  lines — 

"  '  But  the  seeds  of  good  we  sow, 
Both  in  shade  and  shine  will  grow, 
And  will  keep  our  hearts  aglow.' 

"  This  is  certainly  true  of  his  life,  as  he  seems  now  to  enjoy 
the  fruit  in  the  lives  of  the  preachers  who  were  once  young  men 
in  his  hands — the  soil  into  which  he  has  sown  precious  seeds. 
His  work  is  ended,  but  his  deeds  will  still  live  in  our  hearts,  and 
his  influence,  like  waves  from  mid-ocean,  will  roll  on  until  it 

strikes  the  shores  of  eternity. 

"  G.  A.  HOFFMAN." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Letter  from  R.  C.  Ricketts.— Encouragement  to  Write.  —Dr.  Hop- 
son's  Position  on  the  War  Question. — His  Conservatism  on 
the  Subject. — His  Friends  in  Both  Parties. — Effect  of  his 
Arrest.— His  Return  to  Kentucky  after  the  War. — Speech  at 
Midway. — Cordial  Reception.— Estimate  of  the  Man  in  Every 
Way. 

Bro.  J.  H.  Hardin's  Letter. — First  Acquaintance  with  Dr.  Hopson. 
— His  Kindness  to  Me. — Easy  in  his  Presence. — Estimate  of 
Him  as  a  Preacher  and  Christian  Man. 

Bro.  Wm.  Van  Pelt's  Letter. — Warmth  of  Friendship. — Political 
Differences. — Fraternal  Feelings.— Grand  Sermons. 

Bro.  W.  B.  Emmal's  Letter.— Bro.  W.  S.  Giltner's  Letter.— Emi- 
nence, Ky. — Bro.  C.  B.  Edgar. — Cynthiana. — Extract  of  Letter 
from  Ella  B.  Myles. — Letter  from  Bro.  Fred  Power,  of  Wash- 
ington City. — Extract  of  Letter  from  Pres.  J.  T.  Patterson,  of 
Hamilton  College,  Lexington,  Ky. — Letter  from  Chas.  L.  Loos, 
President  Kentucky  University. — Letter  from  Prof.  Robert 
Graham,  Kentucky  University. — Letter  from  S.  W.  Crutcher. 
— Letter  from  Mrs.  Alexander  Campbell. — Letter  from  Pres. 
J.  W.  Ellis,  Plattsburg,  Mo.— Letter  from  Prof.  J.  W.  Mc- 
Garvey,  Kentucky  University. — Letter  from  Z.  F.  Smith, 
Louisville. — Letter  from  R.  M.  Bishop,  Cincinnati. 

Bro.  R.  C.  Ricketts,  well  known  among  our  brethren, 
and  for  years  a  tried  friend  and  for  months  an  inmate  of 
our  home,  was  kind  enough  to  contribute  the  following 

letter : 

"  PALMYRA,  May  15,  1886. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  propose 
to  write  a  history  of  Dr.  Hopson's  life.  No  person  is  as  capable 
as  yourself.  You  have  the  ability  in  an  eminent  degree;  you 
have  the  facts  as  no  other  person  can  have,  and  I  know  you  will 
be  true  and  faithful. 

2i9 


220  LIFE   OF    DE.  W.    H.    HOPSOX. 

"  I  was,  as  you  know,  intimate  with  both  the  Doctor  and 
yourself  long  before  the  late  war,  as  was  my  wife  also.  When  the 
war  broke  out  I  had  a  free  conversation  with  the  Doctor.  His 
true  position  was  not  generally  understood.  He  would  greatly 
have  preferred  the  unity  of  the  Government  in  what  he  thought 
was  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  States.  But  the  war  was  in- 
augurated ;  and,  looking  at  its  probable  horror,  the  loss  of  treasure 
and  thousands  of  valuable  lives,  as  a  merciful  expedient  he  pre- 
ferred a  peaceable  separation,  thinking  that  if  the  matter  did  n't 
work  well  there  was  enough  wisdom  in  the  country  to  bring  back 
a  peaceable  union.  He  looked  at  the  matter  from  the  standpoint 
of  Bible  morality  and  mercy.  He  was  always  temperate  and  calm 
in  his  expressions,  and  very  tolerant  toward  those  brethren  who 
differed  from  him,  never  using  unkind  remarks  about  them.  He 
continued  doing  the  work  of  his  Master,  violating  no  law  of  the 
land,  when  the  purpose  to  arrest  him  became  known.  He 
had  many  friends  in  both  political  parties  who  mourned  over 
his  arrest,  and  but  few,  if  any,  were  more  surprised  or  shocked 
than  I  was.  I  knew  the  Doctor  well.  On  our  first  acquaintance 
I  was  charmed  by  his  large,  well-formed  person  and  courteous 
manners.  In  deportment  he  was  dignified,  and  he  manifested 
habitually  the  refinement  of  a  Christian  gentleman. 

"  As  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  he  had  but  few  equals,  if  any. 
He  handled  his  subjects  with  much  clearness  and  marked  ability. 
He  was  both  fluent  and  eloquent ;  hence  turned  many  from  dark- 
ness to  light. 

"  As  a  housekeeper  he  was  a  man  of  generous  and  elegant 
hospitality,  causing  his  guests  to  feel  that  they  were  'welcome  at 
his  hospitable  home.  No  man  knew  better  how  or  loved  more  to 
entertain  his  friends  than  he.  I  state  these  things  from  both  per- 
sonal experience  and  observation,  and  I  may  add,  as  ground  of 
high  personal  regard  and  Christian  esteem. 

"  But  the  war,  with  its  privations  and  imprisonments,  finally 
came  to  an  end.  The  Doctor  returned  to  Lexington  on  a  visit,  at 
the  earnest  solicitation  of  friends.  About  that  time  some  over- 
zealous  brethren  had  called  for  a  convention  at  Midway,  of  the 
friends,  to  consider  the  wants  of  orphan  boys,  as  to  their  care, 
education,  etc.  I  moved  an  indefinite  postponement,  as  we  had  a 
female  orphan  school  in  hand  at  that  place.  This  was  agreed  to,  and 
ourmeetingadjourned.  Dr.  Hopson  was  on  the  ground  that  ay— the 
first  sight  I  had  had  of  him  from  the  time  of  his  arrest.  This  was  the 


I, IKK    OF    DR.   \V.    II.    HOl'SON.  221 

case  with  many  who  were  present  on  that  occasion.  Our  delibera- 
tions being  closed,  it  was  proposed  to  state  to  Dr.  Hopson  the  facts, 
the  conclusions  to  which  we  came,  and  the  ground  of  our  action. 
We  all  wanted  to  see  him  and  once  more  hear  his  voice,  with  none  to 
make  afraid.  The  Doctor  was  happy  in  his  remarks  that  day,  and 
the  partisans  of  both  sides  gave  him  a  most  cordial  greeting. 

"  In  closing,  I  need  not  say  to  you  that  since  then  the  Doctor 
married  me  to  one  you  had  long  loved  as  a  sister,  and  that  we 
have  spent,  a  large  part  of  the  time  since  then  as  members  of 
your  immediate  household.  It  was  home  to  us  all  in  the  true 
sense  of  thr  word.  Our  only  trouble  was  the  Doctor's  feeble 
health  and  some  sickness  on  my  part.  My  wife  joins  in  Christian 
love  to  both.  As  ever,  R.  C.  RICKETT.S." 

"  HAMNIBAL,  May  13,  1886. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson  .-—Yours  received,  and  my  reason  for  not 
complying  earlier  is,  that  I  desired  a  little  time  for  reflection,  in 
order  that  I  might  write  something  worthy  of  him  whose  life- 
work  you  are  trying  to  record.  Now  that  I  have  undertaken 
it,  I  am  entirely  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  express  the  high  estimate 
I  have  for  your  beloved  husband. 

"  My  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Hopson  began  while  I  was  a 
student  in  Kentucky  University,  and  he  was  pastor  of  the  Fourth 
and  Walnut  Street  Church,  in  Louisville.  He  was  then,  I  think, 
the  finest  looking  man  I  had  ever  seen.  His  portrait  in  the 
Living  Pulpit  is  a  good  picture  of  him  as  he  then  appeared.  After 
I  left  college  I  was  frequently  in  Louisville,  and  he  gave  me  strict 
orders  that  I  was  never  to  stop  at  a  hotel  while  he  kept  house 
there.  His  generosity  of  spirit  was  unbounded.  He  could  always 
put  the  diffident  and  fearful  young  preacher  more  fully  at  ease  in 
his  presence  than  an}'  man  I  was  ever  thrown  with. 

"  As  a  preacher  at  the  period  I  mention,  for  clearness  of  state- 
ment, elegance  of  diction,  pertinence  of  argument,  ease  and  grace 
of  manner,  together  with  tender  persuasiveness.  I  have  never 
seen  him  excelled.  No  man  has  ever  impressed  himself  as  a 
preacher  of  Christ  more  deeply  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people  of 
Missouri,  the  scene  of  his  early  labors  as  well  as  his  latest  efforts^ 
than  he  has.  I  have  traveled  much,  as  you  know,  over  the  State 
among  the  older  churches  and  elderly  brethren  and  sisters.  I 
heard  no  human  name  so  frequently  as  his,  and  in  all  the  allu- 
sions to  him  that  I  have  ever  heard  there  has  never  been  a 


222  LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

whisper  of  anything  that  would  suggest  a  suspicion  against  his 
character  as  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian.  I  may  add  that  by  no 
means  the  smallest  portion  of  the  admiration  I  have  heard  thus 
expressed  has  been  from  the  poor  and  humble. 

"  How  sad  to  think  that  the  days  of  usefulness  for  him  who 
was  so  useful  are  over;  that  the  friend  of  my  early  ministry 
can  no  longer  lead  us  young  preachers  to  do  daring  deeds  for 
Christ ;  that  the  voice  so  full  of  sweet  eloquence  when  it  rang 
with  the  gospel  story,  must  now  tremble  and  falter  and  be  hushed. 
May  God  grant  him  peacefulness  in  these  hours  of  enforced  re- 
tirement ;  and,  should  it  be  our  Father's  will  to  soon  take  him 
from  us,  may  he  find  sweet  rest  in  the  bosom  of  that  Saviour  to 
whom  he  has  won  so  many  thousands  of  men  and  women,  and, 
after  all,  the  rest  that  remains  for  the  people  of  God. 

'*  J.  H.  HARDIN." 

Bro.  Hardin  has  since  been  elected  President  of 
Christian  University,  Canton,  Mo. 

I  will  now  take  an  extract  from  a  most  interesting 
and  sympathetic  letter  of  Bro.  Win.  Van  Pelt,  of  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  of  December  28,  1886  : 

"  I  am  happy  to  know  that  the  Doctor  remembers  our  past 
history  with  pleasure,  and  that  he  sometimes  thinks  of  the  many 
happy  hours  spent  together  in  my  own  dear  home.  Notwith- 
standing our  political  views  were  so  radically  different,  we  could 
talk  together  as  Christian  brethren,  each  believing  the  other  hon- 
est in  his  respective  views.  We  always  let  the  mantle  of  charity 
cover  us,  believing  that  everything  in  this  world  is  only  a  second- 
ary matter  when  brought  in  contrast  with  the  Christian  religion. 

''  I  often  ciall  to  mind  the  many  grand  sermons  I  have  sat  and 
listened  to  from  the  old  Main  Street  pulpit,  from  the  lips  of  Dr. 
Hopson,  and  it  is  my  candid  opinion  that  no  "man  I  ever  heard 
preach  could  surpass  them.  Oh,  the  joy  and  gladness  that  those 
-discourses  brought  to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  members  of 
that  church !  Eternity  alone  can  reveal  the  great  good  that  was 
done  by  those  precious  efforts  of  the  Doctor's  at  that  time.  Take 
-comfort,  dear  brother,  even  as  you  have  so  often  comforted  others 
from  the  blessed  promises  of  the  word  of  God.  Be  strong  in  the 
faith  the  few  remaining  days  or  years  of  your  life.  When  you 
have  finished  your  course,  you  will  go  home  to  the  bright  man 


LIFE    OF    DR.    W.    H.    HOI'S- 'V  223 

sione  that  Jesus  has  gone  to  prepare  for  all  his  faithful  followers. 
I  can  not  expect  to  be  here  many  years  longer,  for  I  have  now 
passed  my  '  threescore  years  and  ten  ;  and  if  by  reason  of  strength 
they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their  strength  labor  and  sorrow,  for 
it  is  soon  cut  off  and  we  fly  away.' 

"  Now  let  me  say,  dear  sister  and  brother,  you  have  my  deep- 
est sympathy  in  your  sad  affliction.  May  God  give  you  grace  and 
fortitude  to  bear  it. 

"  Your  Brother  in  Christ, 

"  WM.  VAN  PELT." 

The  following  is  from  another  of  those  noble  Union 
men  of  Kentucky  whose  Christianity  rose  above  political 
differences,  and  who  has  always  proved  himself  a  tried 
and  true  friend.  Many  a  pleasant  day  have  we  spent 
under  his  hospitable  roof,  where  he  and  his  good  wife 
have  always  made  us  feel  they  were  indeed  and  truth  our 
brother  and  sister. 

"  LEXINGTON,  Ky.,  Nov.  30,  1886. 

"  Dear  Brother : — I  was  so  much  pleased  to  receive  a  letter 
from  Sister  Hopson  a  few  days  since.  In  it  she  informs  me  that 
you  could  not  walk  alone;  that  was  not  pleasing  news.  Well, 
just  remember  that  a  good  man's  steps  are  ordered  by  the  Lord, 
and,  should  he  fall,  he  will  rise  again. 

"  How  the  years  have  passed^since  we  first  met,  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ^ago,  at  a  time  that  tried  men's  souls!  A 
man  that  could  guide  his  feelings  with  discretion,  and  not  fall  out 
by  the  way,  was  a  wise  man.  You  and  I  tried  to  do  this,  but  was 
it  not  hard  to  keep  the  body  under  the  control  of  the  mind?  It 
was  not  fighting  against  the  air,  but  principalities  and  powers  in 
high  places.  All  that  is  past  now,  and  God's  will  be  done,  not- 
withstanding our  body  is  decaying  (and  who  would  want  to  live 
always?)  God  has  been  so  kind  to  us  in  that  our  minds  are  in 
good  condition.  God  grant  that  they  may  so  continue  until  time 
with  us  shall  be  no  more — then  we  shall  meet  and  know  each 
other  there  where  eternal  youth  and  joy  shall  be  our  portion, 
with  all  the  redeemed,  to  praise  God  and  the  Lamb  forever. 
"  Fraternally  Your  Brother, 

"  W.  B.  EMMAL." 


224  „       IJFE   OF   DR.   W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Bro.  W.  S.  Giltner,  a  prominent  educator,  who  has 
done  much  towards  educating  young  men  for  the  minis- 
try in  Kentucky,  and  is  President  of  Eminence  College, 

says : 

"  EMINENCE,  Ky. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — Your  letter  is  received.  I  am  glad  to 
jearn  that  you  are  gathering  up  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  impor- 
tant meetings  held  by  your  distinguished  husband,  and  putting 
them  on  record  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  great  reformatory 
movement  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

"  One  who  was  as  active  as  the  Doctor  in  his  able  advocacy  of 
the  principles  of  primitive  Christianity,  was  an  important  factor 
in  crystallizing  the  religious  thought  of  the  day  into  that  perma- 
nent form  which  constitutes  the  literature  of  the  '  current  refor- 
mation,' and  he  richly  deserves  that  the  important  part  he  took  in 
this  grand  work  should  become  a  part  of  its  history.  I  will  con- 
sult with  Bro.  King  and  others,  and  gather  up  the  data  requested 
and  send  them  to  you. 

"  Yours  faithfully,  in  the  hope  of  a  better  life, 

"  W.  S.  GILTNER." 

"  CYNTHIANA,  Ky.,  Feb.  10,  1887. 

"  My  Dear  Bro.  Hopson  : — I  have  not  seen  you  for  more  than 
four  years,  but  I  have  thought  of  you  many,  many  times,  and  in* 
quired  of  your  health  of  every  one  likely  to  know. 

"  Lately  I  learned  that  you  and  Sister  Hopson  are  at  Nash- 
ville, and  that  you  are  in  feeble  health.  Thinking  it  might  be 
some  pleasure  for  you  to  hear  from  us,  and  feeling  that  it  would 
be  a  great  pleasure  to  us  to  write,  I  venture  to  send  you  this 
through  Bro.  Cave.  I  want  to  assure  you  that  we  are  warmly  in- 
terested in  your  condition,  and  speak  of  you  often  and  tenderly. 
I  feel  that  I  want  you  to  know  that  you  are  very  dear  to  us,  and 
that  we  earnestly  pray  God's  blessing  upon  you  in  your  affliction, 
and  his  comforting  help  to  the  end. 

"  I  can  never  f  rget  how  very  kind  you  always  were  to  me 
especially  in  the  early  days  of  my  ministry,  when  your  kindness 
and  encouragement  were  so  much  needed  and  so  deeply  appre- 
ciated. So  you  early  won  my  heart,  and  you  have  it  still. 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  learn  that  we  are  very  happily  wedded — 
still  perfectly  happy  in  each  other,  etc. 

"  Your  Brother  in  Christ,  C.  B.  EDGAR." 


LIFE    OF    DK.  W.    H.    HOP8ON.  225 

The  Doctor  had  the  pleasure  of  marrying  Bro.  Edgar 
to  his  beautiful  wife,  in  Hannibal,  Mo.,  and  it  was  a  great 
gratification  to  him  to  receive  the  above  letter. 

I  turn  from  this  bright,  beautiful  picture  of  domestic 
happiness  to  another  letter,  written  to  me  by  one  we  knew 
as  a  bright,  beautiful  school-girl  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  as 
the  happy,  joyous  bride  of  a  young  man  of  talent  and 
deep  piety.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  the  young  girl  unite 
her  life  with  the  earnest  servant  of  the  cross,  and  go 
forth  to  stand  bravely  by  his  side,  bearing  with  him  the 
heat  and  burden  of  the  day.  She  was  peculiarly  fitted 
for  a  minister's  wife.  When  I  met  her  again  she  was  a 
watcher  by  the  couch  of  pain.  Her  beloved  husband  had 
sunk  under  his  work,  and  for  years  she  nursed  him  till 
the  end  came.  The  Doctor  pronounced  the  sad  words 
that  consigned  first  her  darling  babe  to  the  grave,  and  in 
a  few  months  her  beloved  husband.  But  little  over  a 
year  ago  these  words  were  written  by  her,  and  she  has 
been  with  her  loved  ones  more  than  half  the  time  since. 
I  have  several  of  her  letters,  but  none  that  touches  me 
so  deeply  as  this  : 

"  MAYFIELD,  Ky.,  March  15,  1886. 

"  My  Dear  Friend  and  Sister  :— I  have  so  often  thought  of  you, 
and  intended  writing  sooner,  but  various  causes  have  prevented. 
You  have  been  carrying  a  heavy  load  a  long  time ;  I  know  by  sad 
experience  how  heavy  and  heavier  it  grows.  You  have  lovingi 
sympathetic  friends,  far  and  wide,  whose  hearts  are  touched  with 
your  sorrow,  and  whose  prayers  mingle  with  yours  for  God's 
grace  to  be  sufficient  for  you. 

"  The  promise  is  sure  and  steadfast ;  it  will  not  fail.  I  so  often 
think  of  Dr.  Hopson  as  I  knew  him  in  my  childhood  and  in  our  St. 
Louis  life.  He  once  gave  me  a  never  to  be  forgotten  encouragement 
as  to  Albert's  training.  He  said  that  I  must  work  upon  his  affec- 
tions ;  that  no  other  way  promised  such  success.  I  know  it  now 
more  fully  than  I  could  then.  I  wish  to  thank  him  once  again 
for  his  hopeful  words  to  me.  Albert  is  in  his  fourteenth  year,  a 


226  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

young  Disciple,  a  loving  boy,  an  ambitious  student,  well  ad- 
vanced. He  is  not  faultless,  by  any  means;  that  we  do  not  ex- 
pect in  the  flesb. 

"  I  feel  that  I  have  many  blessings,  though  many  times  the 
way  is  so  dark  I  can  not  see  how  I  am  to  walk.  It  is  made  clear 
when  I  leave  it  all  at  Jesus'  feet.  My  little  girl  is  a  five-year-old 
darling,  affectionate  and  precious.  She  is"  devoted  to  church 
work— claps  her  hands  when  the  bell  calls  us  to  church.  Last 
Lord's  day  there  was  a  young  preacher  with  us,  and  in  his  ser- 
mon he  repeated  some  excellent  suggestions  he  had  once  heard 
Dr.  Hopson  make,  at  Main  Street  prayer-meeting,  in  Lexington. 
May  his  warm  heart  be  warmed  over  the  knowing  that  his  works 
do  follow  him.  His  cheering  words  and  sound  counsel  are  still 
remembered,  though  his  voice  is  silent  in  the  gatherings  he  so 
loved.  Many  of  us  are  enabled  to  go  forward  under  the  influence 
of  the  years  gone  by. 

"I  should  be  so  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  him,  but  I  know 
your  hands  are  full,  and  can  not  ask  you  to  write  often.     My 
warmest  love  and  sympathy  for  both  you  and  your  dear  one. 
"Sincerely,  ELLA  B.  MYLES." 

"  VERMONT  AVE.  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  July  7, 1886. 

"  My  Dear  Bro.  Hopson : — I  learn,  through  Sister  Hopson,  of 
your  continued  illness.  I  have  thought  much  of  you  during  the 
trial  through  which  you  have  been  called  to  pass,  and  it  was  very 
gratifying  to  me  to  get  her  letter  recently,  and  to  learn  of  your 
heroic  bearing  in  adversity.  It  is  a  lesson  which  is  mightier,  if 
possible,  than  any  sermon  you  ever  preached,  and  this  term 
would  apply  to  your  sermons  as  I  remember  them — they  were 
mighty. 

"  People  are  sometimes  led  to  think  that  we  who  teach  others 
could  not  be  equal  to  the  full  practice  of  our  teachings.  I  re- 
member your  sermons  were  very  full  of  the  doctrinal  element  of 
our  holy  religion.  You  have  fully  vindicated  yourself  as  a  prac- 
tical disciple  of  our  Master,  and  who  shall  say  that  God  has  not 
used  you  thus  as  gloriously  as  he  ever  used  you  in  the  pulpit, 
which  you  so  much  adorned. 

"  It  is  with  pleasure  I  look  back  upon  the  winter  of  1865  and 
'6,  when  I  met  and  heard  you  so  frequently  in  Richmond,  Va. 
Though  I  was  but  a  boy  then,  your  preaching  greatly  impressed 


LIFE   OF    I)U.  W.    H.    IinpsnX.  . 

me,  and  your  kindly  notice  which  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  receive 
has  always  been  most  gratefully  remembered. 

"My  father  and  Judge  Muscoe  Garnet  were  ardent  admirer^ 
of  yours,  and  the  services  at  old  Sycamore  Church  were  the  treat 
of  the  week,  and  helped  to  keep  1 1 1 1- 1 1 1st  i  nguished  legislators  in  good 
moral  tone  constantly.  I  believe  you  had  better  material  to  deal 
with  in  the  Virginia  Legislature  than  has  fallen  to  me  in  the 
United  States  Congress.  I  remember  there  was  actually  a  legisla- 
tive prayer-meeting  held  at  the  time  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  con- 
ducted by  the  members  of  the  Legislature. 

"May  the  promise,  'I  will  be  with  you  alway,'  give  you 
constant  cheer.  Christianly  Yours. 

"  FRED  D.  POWER." 

I  find  in  a  private  letter,  not  intended  for  publication, 
the  following  complimentary  notice  of  Dr.  H.  : 

"  In  regard  to  my  opinion  of  the  Doctor,  what  I  say  is  my 
judgment  of  his  worth  as  a  splendid  specimen  of  the  finished 
pulpit  orator,  his  unswerving  Christian  integrity,  his  devotional 
attachment  to  his  personal  friends,  and  his  open-handed  charity 
in  helping  the  poor.  In  other  words,  I  could  not  speak  of  the 
Doctor  in  any  other  way  than  as  furnishing  and  filling  my  idea 
of  a  noble  Christian  gentleman.  I  was  not  as  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  Bro.  Hopson  as  I  was  with  Bro.  Lard,  and  yet  I 
think  I  knew  him  well  enough  to  form  a  just  and  generous 
opinion  of  his  real  merit.  The  impressions  I  formed  of  him,  the 
first  time  I  heard  him  preach,  were  never  changed,  and  I  can 
only  express  my  regret  to  hear  you  say,  '  His  work  is  done.'  May 
Heaven  strengthen  your  hands,  and  make  you  strong  to  help  the 
tottering  giant  on  his  way  to  the  tomb.  Heaven  bless  you,  and 
brighten  the  future  before  you,  is  the  wish  of  all. 

"  Sincerely  yours,  J.  T.  PATTERSON." 

Bro.  Patterson  is  the  popular  President  of  Hamilton 
Female  College,  Lexington,  Ky.  He  with  his  good  wife, 
11  Aunt  Lou,"  helped  to  make  our  lives  very  pleasant 
while  we  were  in  Lexington  the  last  year  we  were  there. 

Bro.  Charles  L.  Loos  sends  me  the  following  letter, 
which  I  insert  with  pleasure  : 


228  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  LEXINGTON,  Dec.  16,  1886. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — The  purpose  you  have  formed  of  writ- 
ing the  life  of  your  husband  is  most  honorable  to  yourself,  and 
will  be  very  gratifying  to  the  multitude  among  us  who,  by  per- 
sonal acquaintance  and  by  reputation,  know  the  life,  the  labor, 
and  the  worth  of  our  brother  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  and  as 
a  Christian  man.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  your  heart  has  moved 
you  to  do  this,  and  that  you  have  the  courage  to  undertake  the 
task.  The  life-history  of  men  who  have  been  eminent  in  the 
great  office  of  preacher  of  the  cross  should  not  be  lost  to  coming 
generations.  It  is  a  treasure  that  is  precious  to  God's  people,  in 
its  example  and  in  the  record  of  what  such  men  have  actually 
accomplished  for  their  Master  among  men. 

"  Dr.  Hopson  has  been  a  servant  of  the  Lord  in  the  word  of 
much  more  than  common  power.  He  has  stood  among  the  first 
in  his  day — in  the  day  of  his  vigor — as  an  advocate  of  ancient 
Christianity.  His  fidelity  to  the  cause  he  has  served  in  the  min- 
istry, his  bravery  in  defending  it,  the  passionate  ardor  with 
which  he  espoused  it,  the  sincerity  and  earnestness  he  mani- 
fested in  urging  it  upon  men,  the  dignity  with  which  he  advo- 
cated it,  have  always  been  prominent  and  distinguished  charac- 
teristics of  Br.  Hopson  as  a  preacher.  This  tribute  will  be 
accorded  him  wherever  he  has  labored  in  the  gospel ;  above  all, 
where  he  has  been  best  known. 

"  The  story  of  his  life  deserves  to  be  told  by  one  who  knows 
it  best,  who  is  most  familiar  with  its  inner  as  well  as  its  outer 
history;  nothing  is  truer  than  this,  that  the  inner  life  alone  can 
truly  expound  the  outer,  it  alone  can  give  light,  truth  and  reality 
to  it.  We  can  never  know  a  man  until  we  understand  well  what 
the  inner  hidden  springs  and  motives  of  his  actions  have  been. 
The  thousands  of  Dr.  Hopson's  friends  will  read  with  pleasure 
and  interest  the  story  of  his  life,  rich  in  incidents,  in  labor  and 
results,  written  by  the  hand  of  one  who  has  been  nearest  to  him, 
who  understands  it  best,  knows  best  its  real  worth,  and  who 
alone  can  tell  it  as  it  ought  to  be  told. 

"  Your  Brother  in  Christ, 

"  CHAS.  Louis  Loos." 

I  owe  many  thanks  to  Bro.  Graham  for  his  words  of 
encouragement : 


LIFE   OF  W.    DK.    H.    IIOP8ON.  229 

"  LEXINGTON,  Ky.,  Jan.  1,  1887. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — Your  kind  letter  reached  me  a  few 
days  ago.  I  am  glad  you  are  preparing  a  memoir  of  the  Doctor, 
and  I  hope  his  many  friends  will  furnish  you  interesting  facts  of  his 
history  that  will  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  your  forthcoming  book. 

"  In  such  a  book  as  you  propose  to  publish,  we  look  not  so 
much  for  an  account  of  great  achievements  as  for  i  ncidents  that  re- 
veal character,  and  attach  us  more  and  more  to  the  object  of  our  ad- 
miration. We  want  to  see  his  inner  and  domestic  life,  the  virtues 
he  displayed  among  his  most  intimate  friends  more  than  the  con- 
quests made  upon  the  world's  great  battle-field.  A  preacher's 
life  differs  from  all  others,  even  as  his  calling  does ;  his  is  a  min- 
istry of  mercy  to  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  ;  to  the  obscure  and 
suffering  more  than  to  the  opulent  and  prosperous;  his  visits 
and  his  preaching,  if  he  follow  his  Master,  must  be  benedictions 
to  the  broken-hearted  and  those  ready  to  perish  ;  and  the  laurels 
he  wins  are  mostly  the  gratitude  of  the  sinful,  the  sad  and  the 
lost.  I  hope,  therefore,  you  will  not  disdain  to  give  us  such  a 
biography  of  your  gifted  husband  as  will  let  the  world  see  he  was 
a  generous  man,  a  loving  and  faithful  friend,  as  well  as  a  tran- 
scendent orator. 

"  The  first  I  ever  heard  of  Bro.  Hopson  was  from  the  lips  of 
old  Bro.  Joel  Hayden,  of  Missouri,  long  since  gone  to  his  rest. 
He  was  on  a  visit  to  Fayetteville,  Ark.,  where  he  had  relatives, 
and  I  was  engaged  in  building  up  Arkansaw  College  and  the 
cause  of  Christ.  Father  Hayden,  as  we  called  him,  used  to  tell 
me  of  your  husband's  marvelous  power  in  the  pulpit,  and  would 
dwell  more  and  more  on  the  theme  on  each  subsequent  visit. 
Bro.  Hayden  had  then  been  in  the  ministry  over  half  a  century, 
and  was  a  good  judge  of  preaching;  and  I  doubt  not  had  much 
to  do  in  inducing  Bro.  Hopson  to  give  up  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  take  to  the  pulpit  on  the  death  of  his  wife. 

"More  than  this.  I  knew  but  little  of  the  Doctor  till  I  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  in  1859.  He  had  just  held  his  great  meeting 
ln  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  during  which  the  press  to  hear  him  was  so 
great  that,  on  one  occasion,  the  use  of  Smith  &  Nixon's  Hall  had 
to  be  procured  to  accommodate  the  audience.  The  hall  was,  at 
that  time,  the  largest  in  the  city.  When,  in  1862,  I  was  called  to 
preach  for  the  church  in  Cincinnati,  I  often  heard  the  brethren 
say  that  they  never  heard  more  powerful  sermons  than  the  Doc- 
or  delivered  during  that  meeting. 


230  LIFE   OP    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"As  yet  I  had  not  seen  Bro.  Hopson,  and  it  was  not  until  my 
return  from  California,  in  1866,  when  I  located  in  Lexington,  Ky., 
that  we  became  acquainted  with  each  other.  When,  in  1869,  we 
became  coeditors  with  Lard,  McGarvey  and  Wilkes,  we  became 
intimate  friends.  From  that  time  till  now  we  have  known  each 
other  well,  and  our  attachment  has  grpwn  stronger  as  the  years 
have  passed  by.  This  period  included  his  ministry  in  Louisville, 
his  return  to  Lexington,  and  his  service  on  the  editorial  staff  of 
the  Apostolic  Times. 

"  It  was  during  the  last  year  of  his  ministry  in  Lexington  that 
his  health  began  to  give  way  seriously,  and,  as  I  think,  his  splen- 
did power  as  a  preacher. 

"  It  is  as  a  preacher,  rather  than  as  an  editor,  he  will  be  in 
after  years  remembered.  I  never  thought  he  excelled  as  a  writer 
or  in  profound  scholarship,  but  as  a  rjulpit  speaker  I  never  heard 
him  surpassed  when  he  was  at  himself,  and  I  have  heard  many 
great  preachers  in  my  time.  From  1856  to  1876  he  was,  among  us> 
without  a  superior  in  the  pulpit,  and  with  few,  if  any,  equals- 
Bro.  Lard  was  his  only  rival  here  in  Kentucky,  in  my  opinion. 
The  Doctor  had  as  fine  a  personal  appearance  in  the  pulpit  as  I 
ever  saw,  and  he  could  use  his  material  to  as  !great  advantage  in 
a  sermon  as  any  man  I  ever  heard. 

"To  some  who  did  not  know  him  he  appeared  proud;  but, 
as  he  once  told  me,  if  God  had  given  him  a  commanding  body  it 
was  no  fault  of  his,  and  he  would  have  to  bear  it.  But  he  was 
not  proud  in  the  common  sense  of  that  word.  He  was  sensitively 
alive  to  the  good  opinion  of  others,  and  this  gave  a  slight  tinge 
of  vanity  to  his  conversation  ;  but  we  could  all  forgive  that,  for 
we  knew  him  to  be  wholly  free  from  envy,  that  is  so  often  joined 
to  it.  In  his  intercourse  with  people  in  and  out  of  the  church, 
he  always  maintained  a  becoming  dignity  of  demeanor,  which, 
united  to  his  large  and  symmetrical  body,  made  all  but  his 
familiar  friends  approach  him  with  deference. 

"  There  was  nothing  small  in  Dr.  Hopson  ;  he  was  large-hearted 
and  generous;  he  had  a  good  word  and  kind  deed,  when  needed, 
for  his  younger  brethren  in  the  ministry.  He  always  rejoiced  in 
the  prosperity  of  his  fellow-laborers  and  the  church.  For  them 
he  commanded  recognition,  and,  while  a  perfect  gentleman  in  all 
his  intercourse  with  other  religious  bodies,  he  never  accepted  a 
compliment  at  the  expense  of  his  brethren.  He  was  always  con- 
siderate of  the  feelings  of  others  in  the  advocacy  of  his  own 


LIFE   OF    DR.   W.    II.    Ilol'soN.  231 

views,  but  he  made  no  compromises  with  any.  His  whole  life 
shows  he  was  just  to  all,  generous  to  those  needing  his  help,  and 
a  brave  defender  of  truth  and  righteousness  as  God  gave  him  to 
see  them.  Respectfully  yours, 

"  ROBERT  GRAHAM." 

I  am  indebted  to  Bro.  S.  W.  Crutcher  for  the  ap- 
pended letter  : 

"  It  was  during  the  session  of  1858-'9,  while  a  student  at 
Bethany  College,  that  I  first  heard  of  Dr.  Hopson.  Bro.  B.  H. 
Smith,  of  Missouri,  brought  up  his  name  while  it  was  in  order  to 
name  the  best  preacher  any  of  the  company  had  ever  heard. 

"  A  year  or  two  after  this  I  first  saw  the  Doctor,  with  his  wife, 
on  their  way  to  church,  during  a  meeting  he  was  holding  in  Rich- 
mond, Kentucky.  I  heard  him  a  number  of  times  during  this 
series  of  sermons.  One  day  when  he  had  entered  the  church, 
before  many  others  had  come  into  the  house,  I  ventured  to  intro- 
duce myself  and  ask  him  to  give  me  a  little  aid  in  understanding 
Matt.  xi.  12. 

"The  manner  in  which  he  received  me,  and  the  simplicity  of 
his  exposition  of  the  passage,  alike  charmed  me  and  at  once  re- 
moved the  barrier  which  his  dignified  appearance  in  the  pulpit 
would  have  placed  between  himself  and  a  diffident  country  boy, 
who  had  a  purpose  in  his  heart  to  preach  the  gospel  some  day.  I 
also  observed  his  kind  and  deferential  manner  to  an  humble,  and, 
but  for  their  Bible  knowledge,  I  would  say  an  illiterate  class  of 
ministerial  brethren  who  were  in  attendance  on  this  meeting 
with  an  anxiety  that  would  catch  at  his  every  sentence,  as  coming 
from  one  who  was  possessed  of  advantages  superior  to  theirs,  and 
who  was,  therefore,  worthy  to  have  them  sit  at  his  feet. 

"This  trait  in  Dr.  Hopson's  Character,  more  than  any  other, 
drew  me  to  him  in  the  first  place  ;  and  the  many  subsequent  ex- 
hibitions of  this  same  spirit  satisfied  me  that  it  came  from  a  heart 
that  had  been  made  right  by  the  spirit  of  the  meek  and  lowly  One- 
'  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ.' 
I  can  think  of  no  finer  exhibition  of  this  spirit  than  to  see  a  man 
looked  up  to  as  a  superior,  in  turn  condescending  to  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  inexperienced  boy-preacher,  or  the  humble,  true 
man  of  God  feeling  keenly  his  need  of  better  educational  ad- 
vantages. 


232  LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  During  the  summer  of  1870  Bro.  Hopson  spent  his  vacation 
from  Louisville  in  and  around  Georgetown,  where  I  was  then 
located.  Among  the  meetings  of  this  tour,  he  held  one  at  New- 
town,  and  this  one  stirred  up  the  venerable  and  venerated  Thomas 
P.  Dudley.  I  happened  at  Father  Dudley's  Saturday  meeting  at 
Georgetown,  the  first  one  held  after  the  Doctor's  visit  to  Newtown, 
and  I  found  all  the  particular  Baptists  on  hand,  and  their  preacher 
on  the  war-path.  After  pointing  over  towards  the  Baptist  College 
and  comparing  it  sarcastically  to  bullet-molds,  because  it  was  a 
machine  for  making  preachers,  he  proceeded  to  Doctor  Hopson's 
heretical  teaching  at  Newtown.  'One  of  these  has  just  closed 
a  meeting  at  Newtown.  He  actually  denied  any  divine  call  to 
the  ministry.  He  examined  the  Presbyterian,  the  Methodist  and 
the  Baptist  ministers  in  turn,  and  found  each  claimed  to  be  called 
and  sent  to  preach,  and  yet  each  was  preaching  a  different  ism' 
He,  therefore,  argued  that  each  was  mistaken  about  this  divine 
call.  "And  now,  so  far,"  said  he,  "as  I  am  concerned,  I  do  n't 
claim  to  have  any  call,  and  yet  I  preach  what  I  believe  just  as 
they  do."  No  doubt  he  was  right  about  it,  brethren;  a  man 
who  preaches  heresy  need  not  tell  me  he  has  no  call  to  preach — 
his  preaching  will  show  that.' 

"  This  last  sentence  brought  out  quite  a  smile  over  the  audi- 
ence. A  few  who  knew  me  cast  humorous  glances  at  me.  He 
continued:  'He  actually  preached  so  much  about  baptism  that 
one  of  my  sisters,  that  is,  one  who  has  long  been  a  child  of  God 
by  faith,  and  has  told  us,  around  the  fireside,  of  God's  work  of 
grace  upon  her  heart,  but  who,  for  some  reason,  we  could  never 
get  to  make  a  public  profession,  having  heard  all  this  talk  about 
baptism,  was  taken  sick  one  night  and  sent  for  me,  and  wanted 
me  to  go  and  baptize  her  in  the  night.  I  endeavored  to  show 
her  how  absurd  the  idea  was  that  a  child  of  God  could  ever  be 
lost,  whether  baptized  or  not.  What  heresy!  what  heresy!' 
I  met  Dr.  Hopson  a  few  days  after  this  and  told  him  about 
it.  He  laughed  immoderately  while  he  expressed  a  profound 
respect  for  Thos.  P.  Dudley,  whose  honesty  and  piety  none 
could  doubt;  at  the  same  time  it  was  amusing  to  him  to  know 
that  it  took  just  such  '  heresy '  as  he  was  preaching  on  the  neces- 
sity of  baptism  to  get  Bro.  Dudley's  converts  to  make  a  public 
profession,  and  obey  Christ  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 

"  It  would  be  curious  to  know  how  many  are  members  of 
other  religious  organizations,  who  would  not  have  been  there  to- 


LIFE    OF    DR.  W.  H.    HOPSON.  233 

day  but  for  our  preaching  on  the  importance  of  attending  to  this 
appointment  of  Christ. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"8.  W.  CRUTCHEB." 

We  appreciate  very  much  the  following  letter  from 
our  aged  sister,  Mrs.  Alexander  Campbell.  When  Bro. 
Campbell  and  wife  made  their  final  visit  to  Missouri,  in 
1859,  I  think,  Dr.  Hopson  and  I  met  them  at  Clarks- 
ville,  and  traveled  two  weeks  with  them.  The  trip  was 
a  continued  feast  of  good  things  from  the  heart  of  that 
great  man. 

"  LOUISVILLE,  June  21,  1886. 

"  DR.  W.  H.  HOPSON  : — Beloved  Brother  in  the  Hope  of  tf>t 
Gospel: — I  desire  to  address  you,  with  unfeigned  sincerity  of  heart, 
a  few  lines  culled  from  memory's  store-house.  I  refer  to  the  past 
with  earnestness,  believing  it  will  bring  a  gladdening  influence  to 
your  heart  at  this  time. 

"  You,  accompanied  by  your  devoted  helpmeet,  met  us  at 
Clarksville,  Mo.,  when  my  dear  husband  was  canvassing  for 
Bethany  College.  It  was  so  kind  in  you  to  proffer  your  aid  and 
comfort  to  the  aged  veterans  at  that  time,  who  were  traveling  in 
such  a  good  cause.  It  was  an  arduous  work  he  had  undertaken 
at  his  advanced  age,  but  his  convictions  were  strong  that  an  over- 
ruling Providence  would  watch  over  him  and  return  him  safely 
home.  Your  kind  care  and  watchfulness  made  the  burden  much 
lighter  for  him  than  it  would  have  been. 

"  I  remember  one  pleasing  way  you  pursued,  when  rising  to 
address  the  many  brethren  who  came  to  hear.  You  referred  to 
the  age  of  my  beloved  husband — telling  it  (as  you  had  been  so 
often  inquired  of)  —  you  remarked  that  Bro.  Campbell  was 
among  them  in  his  seventy-first  year,  etc.  Surely  Mr.  Campbell 
had  reason  to  be  grateful  to  the  brotherhood  wherever  he  went 
in  Missouri  for  their  aid  in  rebuilding  Bethany  College,  that 
stands  as  a  noble  monument  to  his  memory. 

"  But  let  me  add  another  pleasing  recollection  in  regard 
to  your  labors  for  Christ.  "^While  traveling  in  Illinois,  in 
company  with  my  husband,  over  large  spaces  of  territory? 
before  railroads  were  spread  over  it,  at  numerous  places 
where  we  sojourned  we  were  told  the  story  of  the  young 


234  LIFE   OF   DE.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

Bro.  Hopson ;  how  he  had  preached  among  them,  even  to  his 
own  personal  disadvantage,  though  greatly  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  cause  of  Christ,  bringing  many  to  the  obedience  of  the 
gospel.  I  assure  you,  my  dear  brother,  it  ever  after  left  an  abid- 
ing impression  on  my  heart  in  your  favor,  learning  as  I  did  your 
ardent  devotion  to  the  cause  in  your  youth,  and  that,  too,  when 
it  was  indeed  a  courageous  work  to  plead  the  return  to  primitive 
Christianity. 

"I  often  sat  under  your  ministry  in  this  city,  and  well  re- 
member your  earnest  preaching.  I  was  at  Bloomington  when  the 
Missionary  Convention  met  there  several  years  ago.  One  item  I 
remember,  that,  in  deference  to  you,  the  organ  was  not  heard 
during  the  Convention,  but  good,  hearty  congregational  singing- 

"I  hope,  dear  Bro.  Hopson,  you  will  accept  of  my  weak 
tribute  of  memory  as  a  token  of  Christian  love,  that  I  trust  will 
only  be  enlarged  and  renewed  when  we  have  safely  entered  the 
Celestial  City.  We  shall  unite  in  singing  praises  to  God  and  the 
Lamb  forever. 

"  Yours  in  the  hope  of  eternal  life, 

"  MRS.  ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL." 

Extract  of  a  letter  from  Dr.  H.  Christopher,  who 
was  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church  in  St.  Louis,  the 
year  1874,  when  we  were  living  there.  He  writes  : 

"  I  never  heard  the  Doctor  preach  much  until  he  took  charge 
of  the  church,  in  1874.  He  went  to  Kentucky  in  1860,  and  Mis- 
sourians  lost  nearly  all  knowledge  of  him  except  what  was  gleaned 
from  the  newspapers.  His  work  in  Cincinnati,  in  1859,  threw 
him  very  prominently  before  the  public.  I  then  knew  very  little, 
comparatively,  of  his  ability  as  a  preacher;  but  the  results  of  that 
meeting  were  such  as  to  draw  all  observing  minds  to  him.  I  had 
a  talk  with  Dr.  Richardson,  in  the  summer  of  1860,  about  that 
meeting  and  the  preacher,  and  a  remark  that  he  then  made  struck 
me  with  great  force.  It  was  made  to  account  for  the  opposition 
that  assailed  him  from  the  denominations.  He  said  :  '  He  makes 
the  Scriptures  too  plain.'  His  idea  was  that  people  got  mad  be- 
cause the  plain  exposition  of  the  Scriptures  showed  that  they 
were  grossly  blind  not  to  have  seen  the  truth  before.  Like  one 
who  pays  a  big  price  for  a  secret  process  of  doing  a  desired  thing, 
and,  when  he  learns  it,  feels  like  going  out  behind  the  house  and 


LIFE   OF    DR.    W.  H.    HOPSON.  235 

kicking  himself  for  being  so  foolish  as  not  to  have  seen  it  before. 
I  often  thought  of  Dr.  R.'s  remark  when  listening  to  the  Doctor 
while  he  was  in  St.  Louis  in  1874.  I  then  for  the  first  time  formed 
a  satisfactory  (to  me)  estimate  of  him  as  a  preacher  and  a  man. 
I  then  obtained  data  enough  on  which  to  base  a  rational  judgment. 

"  Socially  he  was  a  desirable  companion  to  me,  and  I  think 
to  all  who  were  fond  of  the  subjects  on  which  his  mind  contin- 
ually fed.  To  persons  in  general  I  think  he  was  very  agreeable 
company.  All  liked  him  ;  some  for  one  reason  and  some  for  an- 
other,:wliich  is  true  of  all  persons.  But  he  had  warm  friends  and 
ardent  admirers,  who  thought  him  what  they  conceived  of  and 
called  a  big  preacher. 

"But  I  think  he  was  properly  appreciated  only  by  such  as 
observe  closely  and  consider  everything  that  they  see  of  a  man. 
As  a  preacher  of  a  certain  type,  he  had  no  peer.  For  clearness  of 
statement  and  fullness  of  expression  ;  for  correct  and  exact  dic- 
tion, terse,  plain,  elegant,  smooth,  correct  in  syntax  and  rhetoric; 
for  forcible  and  plain  argument  that  left  no  escape  nor  retreat 
that  mauled  the  life  out  of  error,  and  made  the  truth  luminous 
in  contrast ;  that  disgusted  a  man  with  himself,  and  made  happy 
and  contented  him  who  had  the  truth,  and  saw  it  in  his  light,  he 
had  no  superior  and  really  no  equal  on  the  same  plane. 

"  He  spoke  so  correctly,  his  sentences  were  so  elegant  and 
complete,  and  his  words  so  well  chosen  to  express  his  thoughts, 
that,  when  published,  they  read  like  previously-prepared  written 
addresses,  the  result  of  studied  thought  and  careful  consideration, 
and  of  weighing  every  word  and  thought.  I  think  this  was  a  gift. 
It  was  natural,  inborn  and  not  studied.  I  believe  he  could  speak 
better  than  he  could  write.  The  inspiration  of  an  audience  was 
a  power  with  him,  and,  though  not  absolutely  necessary,  yet  was 
a  very  great  aid,  as  it  is  to  most  public  speakers.  Such  means  of 
inspiration  the  study  does  not  afford,  hence  one's  composition  in 
writing  may  fall  far  below  that  of  speaking." 

Bro.  J.  W.  Ellis  was  a  co-elder  with  Dr.  Christopher. 

"  PLATTSBURG,  Mo.,  April  17,  1886. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson  : — I  deeply  regret  to  hear  that  the  Doctor 
is  not  strong,  and  that  he  is  not  improving;  and  yet  you  could 
tell  from  my  last  letter  that  I  feared  as  much. 

"  I  wonder  if  the  Doctor  really  ever  knew  how  much  I,  many 
years  his  junior,  admired  him  and  loved  him,  notwithstanding 


236  LIFE    OF   DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

.such  disparity.  Many  a  morning  have  I  started  to  my  office 
earlier  than  necessary,  in  order  to  stop  in  the  '  Study,'  at  Seven- 
teenth and  Olive,  to  talk  with  him.  He  ever  received  me  kindly , 
and  never  seemed  impatient  of  my  intrusion.  I  always  left  him 
feeling  better,  and  with  encouragement  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
before  me.  I  can  see  the  welcome  smile,  '  Good  morning,  Bro. 
Ellis,'  as  I  used  to  enter.  He  ordained  me  to  the  eldership  in  the 
church,  which  office  I  hold  in  this  church  also. 

"  Father  of  all  mercies,  bless  the  declining  years  of  my 
Christian  brother.  Be  his  refuge  and  strength  ;  keep  him  under 
the  shadow  of  thy  wing;  give  him  peace,  rest,  eternal  life, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 

"  Your  brother  in  the  one  hope, 

"  J.  W.  ELLIS." 

Bro.  J.  W.  McGarvey  writes  me,  in  answer  to  my 
request,  as  follows : 

"  LEXINGTON,  Ky.,  Nov.  2,  1886. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson : — In  response  to  your  request  for  a 
written  estimate  of  the  Doctor,  I  pen  the  following : 

"  When  Dr.  Hopson  was  in  his  prime,  he  was  the  most  pop- 
ular preacher  among  the  Disciples-  He  was  not  what  is  com- 
monly called  an  eloquent  speaker,  and  yet  he  was  eloquent  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  word.  His  discourses  were  methodically  ar- 
ranged, his  argument  convincing,  his  style  was  transparent,  and 
he  left  a  line  of  light  behind  him  as  he  advanced  with  his  sub- 
ject. His  manner  was  bold  and  confident  without  being  defiant, 
and  his  action  was  full  of  grace  and  dignity.  His  voice  was  me- 
lodious, and  his  person  commanding.  His  exhortations,  never 
boisterous,  were  full  of  tenderness ;  and  they  deeply  impressed 
upon  the  heart  the  lessons  set  forth  in  the  discourse.  As  a  man 
he  was  generous,  kind-hearted  and  the  soul  of  honor.  These 
qualities  caused  his  discourses  to  have  the  greater  weight  with 
those  who  knew  him.  His  superiority,  as  I  think,  consisted  in 
the  ease  with  which  he  could  comprehend  a  subject,  and  the 
facility  with  which  he  could  distribute  and  arrange.  In  these 
particulars  he  had  no  equal  among  his  fellow-laborers. 
"  Truly  and  fraternally  yours, 

"  J.  W.  MCGARVEY." 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  LOUISVILLE,  Ky.f  June  1,  1887. 

"  Dear  Sister  Hopson  : — You  have  asked  me  to  give  you  my 
personal  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Hopson,  my  beloved  brother. 

"About  the  1st  of  January,  1860,  I  moved  my  family  from 
New  Castle,  Ky.,  to  Lexington,  and  made  my  residence  for  nearly 
three  years  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  Dr.  Hopson  had  been 
called  from  Missouri  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Main  Street 
Church  at  that  time,  and  I  at  once  became  a  member  of  that 
congregation.  Here  was  my  first  meeting  with  the  Doctor.  From 
that  time  on,  while  he  exercised  his  pastoral  functions,  began  and 
continued  a  fraternal  and  friendly  intimacy  of  a  significance  far 
beyond  that  which  usually  exists  in  the  mere  relation  of  pastor 
and  member.  The  causes  for  this  were  several.  I  was  not  closely 
confined  to  business,  and  my  time  was  much  my  own.  The  social 
and  sympathetic  instinct  was  never  more  marked  in  a  man  than 
in  the  Doctor.  To  this  he  added  an  exuberant  cheerfulness  and 
conversational  humor  and  vivacity,  tempered  with  a  never- 
absent  dignity  and  self-restraint,  that,  while  it  pleased,  never 
left  a  sensation  of  pain  or  unpleasantness  on  the  present  company. 
These  qualities,  with  his  rare  intelligence  on  general  topics,  gave 
to  him  magnetism  of  personal  attraction  that  made  him  one  of 
the  most  agreeable  companions  I  have  ever  met  socially. 

"This  was  the  period  which  embraced  the  ominous  ap- 
proach of  the  great  civil  strife,  anH  the  first  year  or  so  of 
hostilities.  These  were  topics  of  daily,  absorbing  interest  and 
conversation ;  and  upon  the  causes,  the  issues,  the  events  and 
startling  episodes  of  the  day,  so  strange  and  novel  to  us  all,  we 
were  generally  agreed. 

"  As  you  will  remember,  yourself  and  the  Doctor  were  often 
the  guests  of  our  house  during  this  time.  I  was  a  constant  attendant 
on  his  pulpit  ministrations,  and  I  think  I  was  well  prepared  to 
judge  of  his  discretion  there  and  in  the  walks  of  private  life. 
Throughout  the  trying  ordeal  of  this  dark  chapter  of  our  history, 
a  circumspection  of  his  speech,  whether  in  the  ministerial  or 
social  sphere,  was  ever  present.  No  word  from  the  pulpit  was 
ever  uttered  that  could  give  offence ;  the  same  tender  regard  for 
partisan  opinions  and  preferences  was  observed  in  the  pres- 
ence of  friends.  I  think  I  may  say  of  the  Doctor,  as  far  as 
can  be  said  of  any  man,  he  was  incapable  of  insulting  or 
wounding  by  rude  words,  so  much  of  kindliness  had  he  in  his 
nature,  chastened  with  the  spirit  of  the  Christian  religion. 


238  LIFE    OF    DR.    W.    H.    HOPSON. 

"  The  angry  sectional  passions  were  intensified  to  the  spirit 
of  strife,  while  the  criminations  and  recriminations  made  it  sure 
that  it  would  begin  with  the  first  pretext  for  violence  This  was 
not  long  wanting.  The  struggle  for  military  mastery  in  a  central 
border  State,  the  recruiting  and  arming  in  military  camps  on  both 
sides,  the  plunge  into  the  maelstrom  of  war  and  its  fierce  and 
varying  conflicts,  put  the  severest  strain  on  Christian  manhood 
it  had  ever  known  in  our  generation.  Dr.  Hopson  bore  his  part, 
and  did  his  duty  ever  faithfully.  He  knew  no  difference,  in  the 
discharge  of  these  duties,  between  the  sympathizers  and  soldiers 
of  the  Union  cause  and  those  of  the  Confederacy. 

"  His  arrest  and  imprisonment,  in  1862,  was  by  no  means 
anomalous  or  strange.  After  the  first  raids  in  Kentucky,  it  was 
thought  to  terrorize  and  restrain  the  Confederate  element  by  a 
series  of  arrests  of  prominent  representative  men.  The  Doctor's 
views  were  well  known ;  though  he  held  them  harmless  to  all, 
he  was  singled  out  for  an  example.  This  information,  conveyed 
to  him  by  friends  of  the  Union  party,  led  him  to  the  choice  of 
evils— submitting  to  arrest  and  imprisonment,  or  seeking  safety 
in  flight.  He  attempted  the  latter ;  but  soon  found  the  country 
was  so  filled  with  Union  troops  that  escape  was  impossible,  and 
he  returned  to  Lexington,  where  he  was  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison.  As  soon  as  advised  of  this,  I  called  to  see  him,  and  to  do 
him  any  service  I  could  to^nake  his  strange  quarters  comfortable. 
I  found  him  resigned,  cheerful  and  trustful.  I  need  not  say  that 
every  comfort  was  tendered  him,  for  scores  of  brethren  and 
friends  were  ready  and  anxious  to  minister  to  such  wants.  He 
was  borne  to  a  distant  prison,  where  he  lay  for  months,  not 
knowing  the  cause  of  his  arrest.  At  last  a  change  was  affected, 
and  he  went  South,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
How  we  missed  him  during  that  long  interval,  and  how  gladly 
we  welcomed  him  back  again,  I  well  remember. 

"  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  agitation  for  the  removal  of 
Kentucky  University  from  Harrodsburg  to  Lexington  began,  and 
the  Doctor  credited  the  first  conception  of  such  a  policy  to  myself, 
if  I  may  be  pardoned  any  appearance  of  egotism  in  the  mention. 
As  a  curator,  my  first  prudential  step  was  to  submit  the  plan  to 
the  trustees  of  Transylvania  University  in  secret  session,  and  to 
receive  their  sanction  to  a  proposal  for  a  consolidation  of  the  two. 
This  the  trustees  formally  did,  and  gave  written  authority  to  open 
negotiations.  The  whole  programme  was  discussed  with  the 


LIFE   OF    DR.  W.    H.    HOPSnN.  239 

Doctor,  and  together  we  preceded  to  Harrodsburg  to  lay  the 
matter  before  prominent  officials  there.  It  was  favorably  con- 
M'lt'rc'i,  and  the  question  brought  before  the  public  ;m<l  Hoard  of 
Curators. 

"  It  may  not  be  improper  or  intrusive  here  to  give  my  im- 
pressions of  the  intellectual  qualities  of  one  whom  I  intimately 
knew  and  esteemed.  By  nature  he  was  remarkably  endowed. 
His  brain,  while  not  massive,  was  finely  organized,  and  supported 
by  one  of  the  most  perfect  physiques  I  have  ever  known.  While 
his  mind  was  comprehensive,  it  was  also  readily  incisive.  It  was 
notably  well  balanced  and  symmetric,  and  not  an  organ^  seemed 
defective  or  ever  at  fault  in  its  working.  Whatever  came  within 
his  observation  he  learned  almost  by  intuition,  and  retained  and 
used  with  rare  skill.  He  was  an  orator  by  nature,  not  so  much 
in  the  ostentation  of  rhetoric  and  the  art  of  Elocution  ;  but  in  the 
natural  simplicity  and  grandeur  of  logic  and  illustration,  and  in 
the  pathos  and  sentiment  of  glowing  words  that  touched  the 
reason  and  the  heart  at  the  same  time. 

"  Dear  brother,  his  was  a  companionship  to  give  life  here 
something  of  a  foretaste  of  heaven,  and  hereafter  to  make  heaven 
more  heavenly. 

"  May  we  meet  again  where  the  weary  are  at  rest,  if  no  more 
on  earth.  In  Christ  and  hope,  yours, 

"Z.  F.  SMITH." 


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